Hide and go Seek
by Liestra
Summary: Can the Storm Hawks really be destroyed? Only one can find the answer. Will Finn be in time? And where will his search take him?
1. Chapter 1

Hello and Welcome all! I hope you take the time to read this story and more so I hope you enjoy it.

Like all who write Storm Hawk stories, i too have fallen in fascination with this show. I like all the main characters, but of all of them Finn is my favorite. He seems to have more potential to him than meets the eye.

Anyway - I do not own the Stormhawks, they are the property of Nerdcorps.

However, this is my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Oh, by the way, this story is complete, but I will be releasing it on a chapter by chapter (16 in all) basis. I personally hate getting into a good story and having it fade away. And no, that is not a personal slam on anyone. I know how life, jobs, family and that most untrustworthy companion of all writers - the muse, can and will stand directly in the way of continuing on.

But I promise, I will not upload a story unless it is finished.

Chapter 1

Finn coughed and winced. He knew he had at least one broken rib. There was something wrong with either his left arm or shoulder or both, as it throbbed with sharp pain. He could move it from the elbow down, but could only make a weak fist. The one time he had tried to raise his arm had resulted in pain so intense he had almost blacked out.

He gazed up at the clouds and tried to spot his friends who were continuing to fight the Talon squadron. He still couldn't believe that no one hadn't noticed him being knocked off his ride for the one millionth time. So sure was he that he'd be caught that he'd delayed opening his chute until he realized that the low cloud level had hidden a small rocky terra. He'd opened his chute just in time to be slowed enough not to be splattered into a red smear. As it was he had hit hard, the breath knocked out of him, seeing stars and his vision had almost faded to absolute black. Fighting to stay conscious he had given his head a quick shake and had sat up. Or at least tried to sit up.

Sharp stabbing pain had lanced through his chest and he quickly felt the right side of his ribs to find an area of extreme discomfort. One rib in particular seemed to move more than it should. He had tried to feel the other side of his chest when he found his left arm wouldn't move right. It just kind of hung there, limp and numb. It hadn't been long though before his entire left side began to ache, the pain soaring to an almost unbearable level. He couldn't tell if the agony originated from the shoulder, arm, back or chest, it hurt so badly.

He managed to pull himself around and sit cross-legged, hugging his chest with his good arm and trying to breath in short, shallow gasps. For the first time in his life, he'd gladly exchange this for the hurt he usually experienced by landing crotch first on one of his friend's skimmers.

He coughed again and this time he tasted blood. Eyes widening in fear, he searched the sky above him. Where were they? He tried to suppress another cough and only made it worse, causing a chain reaction. He'd cough, only to hold his breath, which would make him inhale deeper than he wanted to, which would send him into another paroxysm of coughing. He practically writhed on the ground as the pain in his side, chest, arm, back and shoulder exploded to white hot intensity. Coupled with the blood filling his mouth and spraying out of his nose, he was rapidly beginning to panic.

Finn lay on the ground and tried to find his center of gravity, the one he always retreated to when he needed to settle himself. It was the internal place he found when taking an especially difficult shot, or when faced with seemingly impossible odds. He would mentally imagine himself standing in the exact midpoint of his own pair of cross hairs, stabilizing himself while the rest of the world swirled madly about him. Any other time he'd be a part of that whirling storm, adding his own particular brand of folly to it, delighting in the sheer lunacy of it all. There was nothing he liked better than riding a wave of intensity, whether it was having fun with his friends, listening to or playing the loudest, wildly extreme music or just kicking back after a long day. Everything Finn did was done to the fullest.

But he couldn't deny that there were times when he needed to focus, to dial himself down and in and take control of his natural inclination. He'd lose the fear or the anger, let go the sarcasm or hilarity and bring forth calmness. He'd do what was needed and just as quickly return to normal, what passed for normal for him anyway.

Lying on the ground he kept telling himself to take it easy, remain calm, just breath in and out slowly. Yes he hurt and yes he was bleeding internally and yes, he seemed to be alone and lost and there was no sign of his friends. But he'd gotten out of tighter spots and he'd do so this time too. Just had to relax, trust that things would work out. Never mind that silly idea of that silly curse. If he truly was cursed it only seemed to manifest itself on being knocked off his bike. He'd always come out ok before. Well, until now that is.

But he was alive, wasn't he? It was only a matter of time before they'd come flying down, pick him up and take him back to the Condor. Piper'd consult some medical book she had stashed and in no time he'd be patched up, good as new. In fact, he might enjoy being hurt, as the others would feel sorry for him and pamper him, bring him all sorts of tasty things to eat, tuck him in and generally fall all over themselves in taking care of him. Yeah, he could definitely get used to that.

Finn could feel his overwhelmed brain beginning to fade as the pain and shock took hold. He tried to keep his eyes open, but the bright glare from the sky made his eyes water and his head spin from suddenly twirling clouds. Shutting his eyes Finn could feel himself continue to spin, until darkness revolved around him and swallowed him up...

Finn woke shivering. He opened crusty eyelids and looked around, trying to figure out where he was. Gradually he managed to make out he was outside, laying on hard ground, stars twinkling high above where they peeked out between gaps in the cloud cover. He reflexively rolled onto his side and stopped as pain burst through him. With it returned memory, along with the realization that he was still stranded. Once more he found himself fighting panic, along with concern. What had happened to his friends? Why hadn't they found him, rescued him? Were they searching elsewhere? Or….

No. He wouldn't think of such a thing. They were alright, just…detained. Perhaps the battle had lasted longer than usual, perhaps the Talons had been joined by reinforcements. Perhaps his friends had no choice but to make a hasty strategic retreat, and were only waiting for daylight to resume their search for him. Finn nodded, surely that was what had happened. He just had to wait and once the sun was risen, they'd come soaring out of the sky, telling him how sorry they were that it had taken so long, exclaiming over his injuries and promising him that they'd make up for it.

In the meantime, however, he was freezing, his lips were dry and his mouth parched, his head ached, his back was sore, every muscle was stiff and he dared not move or the pain would erupt. And he was hungry. He also had to pee – badly.

Finn heaved a large sigh. Causing his side to send out a sharp pain as the busted rib rubbed and poked into him. Causing him to gasp, this in turn caused him to begin coughing again. At which his shoulder and arm chimed in with their own agony. Finn could only lie on his back, holding his chest with his right arm and trying not to writhe. Once more he tasted the sharp iron tang of blood in his mouth. Slowly the agonizing convulsions grew less and once more Finn lay still, barely breathing. Over and over he told himself to remain still, remain calm, breathe easy, everything will be fine, take it easy, take it easy, take it easy.

Finn cracked open his eyelids and slowly raising his right hand wiped at the tears that had poured out. He started to wipe his hand on his shirt when he stopped and rubbed his fingers across his lips, bringing at least some moisture to them. He began to move his head, inch by inch up and around, trying to take in more of his surroundings. He found he could look to the right and up with relative ease, but turning to the left was painful and made the muscles in his neck cramp. In looking up he tried tilting his head back and managed to get a glimpse of a rock wall behind him before the discomfort grew too much to stand.

Finn knew he had to get to some kind of shelter. Even though he had managed to land on an outcrop and not directly into the wasteland, he was dangerously exposed. Steeling himself to the inevitability of having to move and the pain it would cause, he started to take a deep breath. He cut it short just as he felt another cough begin to build. Finn closed his eyes and tried to swallow, but his mouth was too dry.

Finn tried to think of a way that would get him up and across to the relative shelter of the cliff wall without resulting in him either screaming like a banshee, blacking out from the pain or further damaging his poor body even more. He couldn't come up with anything. He had attempted to ease himself into a sitting position, hoping to be able to use his undamaged legs to scoot backwards. But every time he tried to push himself up on his right arm, his rib would shift and he'd lie there on his back, holding himself frozen until the need to cough, to cry out, to squirm would pass.

There was no hope for it. He would just have to do it, no thinking – just move. Don't even count to three, just – MOVE!

Finn couldn't stop the shriek of pain from tearing out of his throat as he pushed himself up and began shoving himself backward at the same time. Tears streaming out of tightly closed eyes, he alternately coughed and sobbed as he pushed along. The pain had taken on an almost surreal quality, having leapt from white hot to excruciating and then to a point in which it seemed as if he was regarding it almost dispassionately. He had the strangest sensation of looking down at the figure of a small, slim young teen that was struggling to push itself backward.

He regarded the obstruction with supreme irritation as he hit something with his back that prevented him from going further. It took a moment for the realization to sink in that he had reached the cliff wall. The relief was so sudden that he practically collapsed, sagging against it, his head falling forward until his chin came to rest on his chest. Once again the darkness swirled up and around him and he gratefully gave into it.

When he next opened his eyes he thought that he must not have been out for very long. The pain had subsided to a somewhat manageable level and the coughing was light and sporadic. He licked the salty tears from his lips and wiped at his eyes, taking stock of the situation. He was now sitting up and although the pain in his side wasn't as sharp, his arm was now hanging down and the pull on his shoulder was intense. He was still cold, but the cliff wall blocked some of the wind and he was no longer shivering quite as hard. He was thirsty as all get out and could eat an entire hanger bay full of merb cabbage. Heck, he'd even eat one of Junko's meals, go back for seconds. And he still had to pee.

Now that he had managed to secure himself up against the wall, he became aware of sounds. He could hear rustlings and crunches; the shifting of rock and the soft fall of earth. Finn's eyes darted everywhere, trying to find the source of the noise. He really wished he hadn't dropped his crossbow when he had been tossed off his skimmer. Never mind that he probably would have been skewered on it when he landed.

Finn's high pitched scream of fright soared out into the air as he caught site of movement to the right of him. Something large was bounding toward him! Finn only had time to fling his right arm over his face as the thing stuck its fanged face at his. And began licking him joyously.

Finn froze in disbelief. Peering through his fingers, he made out the furry form of a houndbeast, its tail wagging back and forth. Reaching out to stop the creature from licking him to death, Finn's hand contacted the beast's collar. Shock ran through him as he realized that the doglike creature must belong to someone. Someone who had to be nearby. He grabbed hold of the collar and tried to hold the beast's head still.

"Easy boy, er, girl, er, whatever you are. Good houndbeastie, yes, you're a good boy. Can you get your master, huh? Yeah, master. Home. Where's home, huh boy? Where's your master, that's a good boy."

The animal regarded him quizzically, then sat down and offered a paw.

"No, no, not shake, home. Where's home, huh boy, er girl. Yeah see that now, good girl. Can you bark? Can you speak?"

The beast cocked his head at him, ears forward. It gave a small 'huff". Finn took that as an encouraging sign and began to exhort the beast to speak, bark, howl, anything. Just make noise and alert its master that there was a problem and that they should check it out.

Instead the creature stood back up, swiped its very long, very wet tongue over Finn's face and took off.

Finn frowned with annoyance. Females. Why did they have to disregard the obvious? He leaned his head back against the wall and resigned himself to wait for the sun to rise. Hopefully it wouldn't take long for his friends to find him and he'd be off this accursed rock. He wondered where the houndbeast had come from and more importantly where it had gone. Was it stranded like he was or did it belong to someone that might follow it back to him? He tried to listen for sounds of somebody approaching but heard nothing. He shifted a little as he was sitting on a really sharp rock and hissed as pain erupted from his side. He had become almost used to the pain in his shoulder and arm as it was so constant. He wasn't sure but he thought his hand was numb. He probed at it with his other hand and thought so. It felt funny, similar to when a foot fell asleep from being sat on too long. He opened and closed his fingers, and got a small tingling feeling in it.

Finn yawned. He was becoming tired and his eyes were getting heavy. He struggled to stay awake, hoping the houndbeast would come back; at least it had been friendly and could keep him company. It might even protect him if there were any predators out there. He found himself nodding and jerked his head up. Pain shot across his left shoulder and down his arm, making him wince. He leaned his head against the cliff and closed his eyes. He kept telling himself he would open them, in just a minute he would, really – he would, but he could keep them closed just for a little longer.

Finn's breath slowed as he fell deep asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Welcome again, if you're reading this chapter, hopefully you are intrigued enough to keep going. I hope you will not be dissapointed.

Chapter 2

Voices. A voice. Someone speaking in a sing-song way. A soft bark. It all should mean something but everything was so very far away. He seemed to be floating, surrounded by warmth and softness. There was a gentle touch to his forehead, a brush of fingers. A voice asking something - asking him something. But to answer meant a return to the pain that was hovering just above him. And he was tired, so very tired. Easier to just sink back, float away….

It was the pain that brought him back. He coughed a little and opening his eyes looked around. He was in a room. An unfamiliar room. There was a window to his left that showed blue sky, clouds moving along sedately. He was laying on a bed, propped up with pillows, a thick coverlet drawn up to his chest. More pillows supported his left arm. His chest felt tight, but didn't hurt quite as much when he breathed. His arm and shoulder still hurt tremendously though. He shifted his legs a little and felt a lump. Looking down he found he had disturbed a small black and white mirrcat. It lifted its head, yawned hugely for such a little thing, rose on its white footed paws and stretched. Then it walked up Finn's legs to sit on his stomach, curled up and began to purr. Finn had never had a pet before, found little things with sharp teeth to be somewhat disturbing. And yet he found himself to be enchanted with the tiny beast, especially when he tentatively reached down and scratched it behind the neck, causing the thing to rub its head against his hand, purring even louder. The animal's front paws began to press against Finn's stomach, kneading him. Finn smiled and continued his inspection of the strange room he'd found himself in. On all three, no four walls as he craned his neck back, were hung colorful drawings and paintings. All though they weren't realistic, they conveyed a feeling of landscapes, the sweeping lines and multicolored squares giving the impression of hills, valleys, fields and streams. Finn looked from one to the other and decided he liked them.

Just as Finn was attempting to pick out the one he liked best, he heard a noise outside the door and a houndbeast burst into the room, making the mirrcat jump up and run out. Just as quickly as the hound had entered, flailing tail bumping into everything, than it turned around and was gone. Finn barely had time to register that it was the same creature as the one last night.

"Settle down Kara, I heard him." Came a voice from outside the room. Finn looked up to find a female regarding him with curiosity mixed with concern. As he stared at the woman he couldn't decide if she was young or old. She was pretty, kind of, her face round with high cheekbones, the nose long and aristocratic, her chin soft, her mouth full. She seemed shorter than he, and her body was slim but mature. Her coppery bronze skin was smooth, yet her short hair was a mixture of reddish brown, dark grey and silver. Her eyes were a blend of blue, grey and green. All this he took in at a glance as she approached him, leaning over and placing her hand on his forehead. She looked at him and smiled.

"Well now, you're finally awake. I was beginning to worry there. We're still a few hours out from the nearest terra and I can only do so much. I know a little about medicine, have to when you're out and about like I am, but you need more than I can give. Now you just lay back and let me check on you." Her soft voice had an odd rolling lilt to it and her hands were tender yet firm as they checked him for fever. She drew the blanket down from his chest and touched a band of strips wrapped around him.

"Broke at least one rib, probably cracked a few more. I've wrapped you up nice and tight, but from the blood you coughed up and the sound of your breathing, it most likely pierced your lung."

She withdrew her hand and softly laid a fingertip on his left shoulder. "Then there's this. You dislocated your shoulder but good. I've tried to get it to go back in, but it's stubborn. I don't think either your shoulder blade, clavicle or arm's broken, but I don't want to force the bone into the socket and end up making it worse. I know it hurts like crazy, but I've got something that will take care of that. I'll be right back."

And she was gone. Finn blinked. The whole time she had talked she had been busy, her hands adjusted this, smoothing that. She had brushed back his hair and held a cup of water to his lips and tucked the blanket under his feet and had gently cradled his head so she could fluff the pillows behind him. He had been so stunned that he hadn't had a chance to speak. He was trying to process this new venue and put one and one together and figure out just where he was.

He didn't think he was still on the small terra. The existence of the houndbeast meant that the creature had belonged to someone, and this someone was her. She had to have found him and somehow brought him here. She had put him into bed, dressed his injuries and then…what? The slight feeling of motion and her statement about being on their way to a nearby terra away clicked in his head and he realized he must be on some type of airship. She must be taking him to get medical help. Which meant…

That his friends had not found him and wouldn't know that he had been taken away from the site of his crash. That they would be searching futilely for him and getting more and more worried the longer he was missing. They probably had found the remains of his skimmer, but there would be little signs of where he had been. Finn closed his eyes tightly and let out a low moan of despair. He couldn't imagine how worried they had to be.

"Easy boy, here you go. You swallow this and in no time the pain will be gone."

Opening his eyes he found the woman had returned carrying a four legged tray with a steaming bowl on it. She set it down in front of him and picked the napkin that was folded beside the bowl. She spread it under his chin and then spooned up some of the hot, thick liquid.

"Ummm, lady, uhhh…"

"Zella, my name is Zella. And the hound beast is Kara and the mirrcat is called Skeez. Or kitten, even though he's almost two. Now, open up."

Finn had no choice but to open his mouth and take the offered spoon. He started to swallow and then his eyes widened. Whatever the stuff was, it was tasty. All though he had a hundred million questions to ask this powerhouse of a woman, he gave all his attention to eating up the soup. He ate every bite and would have licked the bowl. He hadn't realized how hungry he was. He opened his mouth to speak.

"Now you just rest there, young man, the mindnumb will start to work and you'll be back into dreamland soon enough. I know you're still hungry and could eat an entire elephino, but that wouldn't be a good thing, you've been out of it all day now, no need to shock your system. There you go, those big blue eyes of yours are already starting to droop. Sleep well, youngling, you're safe and soon will be put back together again."

He tried to ask her where they were, where they were headed, could she call his friends. He attempted to tell her his name, and ask her…how she had…to tell her… say…to…her….


	3. Chapter 3

Hello! The next installment of this story - So far Finn has been injured, seperated from his teammates and rescued by a mysterious women and her pets.

A small disclaimer, I may be taking liberties with the SH universe, for which I expressly apologize.

Chapter 3

Bright lights. More voices: male voices, authoritative voices. A strong antiseptic smell. A female voice, the lilting cadence the only familiar thing. He knew her, but from where… her name was…Shella? No. Zella. She had a houndbeast name Squeez and a mirrcat call Kitta. Wait, no that was wrong. Why was his head spinning so? Who was this guy that was staring down at him? He wore some kind of robe, a light gray robe. Doctor's robes, that was it. Finn's mind struggled to comprehend, images and sensations coming at him in no particular order. Cold, he'd been cold. No he'd been warm, wrapped up in a blanket. His chest had hurt. He was falling, the ground rushing up. Blood, hadn't he been bleeding? Inside? A huge mirrcat had leaped at him. No – wasn't that the houndbeast? Soft hands on his head, a gentle voice talking to him. His shoulder, it was injured. Dislocated, that was it. Where were his friends, his teammates? They should be here, wherever here was.

He was moving, lying on some wheeled bed. Large double doors opened and then closed behind him. He was vaguely aware of beeping machinery, of other people gathered around. He felt something being placed over his nose and mouth and he struggled. Then he was falling fast into a dark pool of deep water….

Finn treaded water. From somewhere far away he knew that he should wake up. But he was comfy. He felt great. There was no pain (had there been pain?). He was warm and safe (had he been cold and in danger?). He was lying on his back, secure and stable (Had there been a time when he had been falling?). He was tired of asking questions that had no answers and tried to drift away. But he kept being pulled back to the surface. He was having a hard time ignoring the voice that was speaking to him, exhorting him to wake up, to open those big blue eyes. Especially troubling were the insistent hands that went with the voice, soft gentle hands that stroked his forehead and squeezed his own hand tenderly yet firmly. He tried to dive deep, away from the woman that he knew from somewhere who was insisting that he wake up. But there were those nagging questions and he sensed that the woman had the answers to them. Reversing direction he shot toward the surface.

He was in another room. The bed he was in had a rail on one side. On the other sat the woman he remembered was Zella. Her multicolored eyes looked at him kindly and she smiled reassuringly. He noticed that her left eye was darker than her right, the greens more blue, while the right eye held smatterings of yellow in it.

"Well, hello again. Feeling better this time, I'm sure."

Finn opened his mouth to speak and found it dry. The woman turned and grabbed a large plastic bottle from a stand next to his bed and held it to him, adjusting the straw so he could take a drink. Finn swallowed several mouthfuls, the icy water incredibly refreshing. As he lifted his right arm to steady the bottle, he noticed that a tube ran from under a bandage on the back of his right hand. Following the line he found it ended in a large clear plastic bag that hung above his head.

"Okaayyy." He spoke, his voice husky and rough. "I take it I'm in a hospital."

"Yes," Zella nodded. "You were operated on yesterday afternoon. The doctors wrapped your ribs and set your arm back into its socket. Didn't do much about the tear in your lung, didn't want to chance an operation and causing an infection. It's small and it'll heal on its own with time and rest. Coupled with keeping you stuffed with Healwater solution, you've come a long way. I was quite worried about you when I found you. You were beginning to run a fever, moving you caused great pain and you coughed up blood with just about every breath. Another day or two longer and you might not be here."

Finn glanced down. "I don't remember anything. Well except for that time I woke up. And of course I remember landing. Can't forget that." He said, a small resilient smile forming on his lips. He shifted a little and found that he could move both shoulders. Carefully he rotated the left one, finding it sore and a little stiff, but it had mobility and no longer felt like it was going to fall off. He managed to free his left arm from under the confines of the many blankets that were tucked in tight around him and moved it back and forth. Tentatively, then with greater confidence he raised his arm up level to his chest, then slowly above his head.

"Sweet." he exclaimed. Looking back at the woman, Finn opened his mouth. "Now…"

"Now you'll be wanting to know how you got here, I'm sure. Four days ago I had landed on a small terra so Kara, you remember her, big ol' fool of a houndbeast?" She continued before Finn had a chance to nod. "Could stretch her legs. Being cooped up in a travel barge isn't good for a creature her size and temperament. I decided to stay the night and parked my barge, ate supper and was getting ready to go to bed when Kara came running in. Knew something was up, she kept going to the door. I would let her out and she'd turn right back around. She was whining a little and kept looking up at me. Finally deciding I wouldn't get any rest I flung my sweater around me and followed her out. Silly beast never acted so serious before, she led me right to you. Good thing she had or you'd probably still be sitting there. Tried to wake you up but you were too out of it, figured there was no way little me could carry you back, even if you're such a skinny thing, so I packed up, lifted off, set back down right in front of you, somehow managed to get you into my arms, staggered into the bedroom and set you down. Checked you over, found your injuries, did what I could, made you comfortable and headed towards the nearest populated terra with medical facilities. And here you are."

Finn blinked. His mind whirled from the stream of words that Zella had poured out. He managed to latch onto one piece of information in particular.

"Four days? I've been here four days?"

"No child, I found you four days ago. You were three days on the Scumbucket, that's my airship, and you were operated on yesterday. They kept you pretty well medicated until today."

"Oh." Looking up at her Finn asked worriedly. "No-one's come looking for me, have they?"

Her face saddened. "No hon, sorry. I stayed so you would wake up to at least one familiar face. So, tell me who and what and why, and I'll try and get you back to your people."

Finn took a deep breath. Finally he could speak. "My names Finn and I'm a Stormhawk and I…" He glanced over at her as she gasped, but her expression was not one of recognition or awe.

It was one of horror.

He stared at her with growing fear. "Why are you looking at me like that? You've heard of the Stormhawks, right? All of Atmos knows us, we're famous."

Her look changed to one of deep sorrow and she leaned forward and placed her hand very gently on Finn's chest. "Oh, Finn, honey. I don't know how to say this. Of course you wouldn't know." She stopped and looked away. It was all Finn could do not to shout out what, what don't I know? One part of him ached to know and another part didn't.

Turning back to him she took a deep breath. "Four days ago, the morning after I found you in fact, Cyclonia sent out an all world radio transmission that the entire Stormhawk squadron was destroyed, the Condor blown to pieces, all hands lost. Along with the announcement that Cyclonia had officially declared a day of celebration."

Finn stared at her in shock and disbelief. "No. No. it can't be true, it just isn't. I don't believe you, you heard wrong, Cyclonia lies, and they're just making it up."

"I wish I could say otherwise, but just about every Sky Night and their squadron headed out to the position that Cyclonia gave as the spot the wreckage went down. They confirmed it. They brought back pictures of the remains of a large carrier strewn across the wastelands, burnt and in pieces. There was just enough of the left engine to show the Stormhawk insignia. They searched but found no sign of any survivors."

Finn sat in shock. His mind heard her words, but he couldn't, wouldn't accept them. The Condor - gone, destroyed. His friends – Aerrow, Junko, Piper, Stork, Radarr – gone, dead. No. No way. There had to be a mistake. It had to be a Cyclonian trick.

"Show me." He hissed, his blue eyes blazing. "Show me these pictures. I know the Condor better than anybody, I'll tell you if it's real or not."

Zella stared back. Until now the boy lying in the bed had been just that, a young teen that was hurt and needed help. Now she stared into eyes that held such an amount of strength in them that she was amazed and astounded. He may have been in his early teens (as the doctors had estimated), but he was no child. What stared back at her with such conviction was a warrior.

She glanced up at the small broadcast monitor that hung high on the far wall. Reaching over she found the controls and turned it on. Finding a romance show she changed channels until she reached an all-news broadcast. At the moment they were talking about a string of bad storms in the south. They were always talking about the bad storms in the south, as if the south never had bad storms. In winter they'd go on and on about bad storms in the north. She shook her head in disgust. Hello – Atmos - weather!

Then the scene changed to a serious head that announced the latest findings on the disaster that was affecting everyone, the devastating loss of the young Sky Knight Aerrow and his brave squadron the Stormhawks. Zella glanced from the monitor to the boy who lay frozen in bed, his eyes never leaving the images that were being shown over and over. She had seen them so many times that she was almost sick of them. A far off shot of smoking wreckage with the Cyclonian insignia in the bottom corner, with a scrolling line at the bottom informing that the picture they were seeing had been supplied by the Cyclonians four days ago. Then a closer shot, several from different views, with the line now indicating that these pictures had been brought back by the rescue force. Finally a shot that zeroed in to the smoking remains of the hulking portside engine, the twisted battle scarred surface, streaked with black smoke showing a portion of the light blue shape of the Stormhawk symbol. The announcer continued his account of how what the viewer was seeing was the largest part found of the once famous Condor. He then announced that the Sky Council's planet wide mourning period would be extended to a full month in honor of the fallen heroes, culminating in a ceremony honoring the six warriors, remembering their historic ventures and mourning their young lives, so tragically cut short. Pictures of them began to be shown, and the narrator's voice changed to a feminine one, that began to give biographical information on each one.

Finn gave a small grunt. "Turn it off."

He sat in the silence that surrounded them, the only noises the faint beeps and buzzes that came from the equipment above and behind him, along with the far off sounds that seeped into the room from around the slightly open door. His mind whirled with thoughts and emotions. He could feel his throat tighten and his eyes begin to sting as tears gathered. It was true. Wasn't it? They were gone, his friends, his buddies, his teammates. His family. The life he had, the only one he knew. Gone. And he was the only survivor, the only one left. Why him, why hadn't he been struck down, to die with them. What was he to do, how could he go on? What was left?

Finn squeezed his eyes tightly shut and ground the heels of both palms against them. He wanted almost more than anything to curl up into a ball and stay there, cry his eyes out until he was numb, find a dark hole and crawl into it, jump off the edge of the terra until he went splat. Almost.

Flinging back the blankets Finn made to stand up. A sharp pain in his hand stopped him and he looked down at the I.V. stuck in his skin. He started to pull it out when another hand gently closed over his. He looked into grayish-greenish-bluish eyes that were just as tear-filled as his, but the face that gazed at him was concerned.

"Whoa, son. Just what do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going there. Where they went down. I need to check it out for myself. I need to know for sure. I need to see it…for myself."

"Finn, you're in no shape to leave. They may have fixed you up, but you're not healed and you're still weak. And just how do you think you'll get there?"

"I don't know and I don't care. I'll find a way. Steal a ship if I have to. And I'm not staying here another minute. I'll be all right." He looked at her with determination written over every feature. "Look, I'm grateful to you for saving me, and looking after me and bringing me here. And I'm really appreciative that you stayed with me, that was nice and everything. But don't think you're going to stop me, cause you're not. You can call all the doctors and nurses and security you want, but I'll find a way out of here, even if they strap me down, I'll get loose. Those are my friends, my best friends and if there's even the slightest chance that this is a mistake, a stupid Cyclonian hoax, then I'm going to find out. And then I'm going to find them."

"And nobody's gonna get in my way." He growled.

All though Zella managed to hide the smile from her face, her eyes still sparkled with amusement. She knew he was no child and his words held a conviction stronger than age, but the sight of him sitting there in nothing but a hospital robe, his disheveled hair sticking in all directions and the mark of bruises still discoloring his flesh made her feel very protective. After all, she hadn't hauled him all this way just to see him dash off on some foolhardy quest that would probably end up with him getting hurt worse.

"Then you're going to need my help again, won't you?" she said mildly.

Finn gaped at her suspiciously.

She leaned back in her chair and observed the youth. "I know you want to race out of here, but settle for a minute and listen. Right now the hospital is full of people, they're going to notice this empty bed faster than you'd like. And somebody is going to notice you're scantily clad body sneaking down the hallway." She stifled a laugh as Finn grabbed at the open ends of his robe and pulled them around him. "Now the best thing to do is wait until nightfall. One, the place with be more deserted, two, it will give me time to get your clothes cleaned and mended, resupply my ship and, three, it will give you more time to lay there and heal. Nurses will be by soon I'm sure, I'm surprised one hasn't been in here by now, poking and prodding, giving you this medication for that and that pain pill for this. And the doctor might stop by and give you a list of reasons why you should stay in bed and get rest, which…" she said as his mouth opened. "You won't listen to, I know."

She stood and stroked his hair back. "Please Finn, listen to me. I know what it's like to worry and wonder and the only thing you want to do, can do is rush right into the thick of things. But take this opportunity to think this through a bit. You might come up with something even better. Now get back under the covers and rest. I promise I will be back an hour before the end of visitors session, which will be just five hours from now and we'll go over how we're going to break you out. Once we get on my ship and are away from here, we'll figure something out. OK?"

Finn frowned, but he had to admit her words made sense. And he would have a much better chance of getting away if she helped. She did have a ship and was willing to take him back. Looking at her he nodded and slid back under the covers. He watched as she walked toward the door. She suddenly turned back.

"Oh, one more thing. If you're really serious about this, don't tell them your name. They'll be all over you if they find out you're the one remaining survivor. This room will be neck deep in reporters and sky council members and publicity seekers and who knows who else. You won't be able to sneeze without it being on the news. So play dumb or act like you can't remember who you are. Better yet, just pretend to be asleep and if they ask you any questions just tell them you're tired and need to rest. Just don't overdo it and have them give you something that will knock you out, got it?"

Once again Finn stared at the woman with amazement. He hadn't even given such an idea a thought. He'd probably have announced to the world who he was anticipating doors opening wide and people rushing to help him. But he could see her point. There would be inquiries and reports and questions and this person transcribing that and that person writing down this and by the time he'd manage to squirm away, it'd be days, weeks, months later.

Finn sighed. Alone, his mind returned to the images that had been shown on the screen. They couldn't be true, they just couldn't. Not until he saw real evidence would he believe it. Until then he would operate under the certainty that it was a hoax, put out by the Cyclonians to deceive everybody into thinking that the planet's greatest Sky Knight and his magnificent squadron was defeated. As if. No way Aerrow would be beaten, especially by some two bit Talon squadron. Why the Dark Ace hadn't even been there, and how many times did the red-headed leader chase that cowardly, black hearted, black haired traitor away? And Piper and Junko? Piper knew her crystals too well to be overpowered and was well versed in Sky Fu. And just think how strong she had become since her training on Terra Neon. Junko had his own phenomenal strength enhanced by his knuckle busters, and his skimmer was armed with missiles. Finn shook his head and smiled. No way, there was just no way those two be taken down. And Stork and the Condor? Blehh. Stork had the ship so rigged with booby traps that the first Cyclonian to step foot onto it would be the last. There was no way he'd allow his beloved Condor to come to harm, would probably leap right off the bridge and attack the Talons single handedly if they so much as tried to put a dent in the hull, let along try to take it down.

He sighed again and tried to stifle a yawn. Settling into a more comfortable position he relaxed. He just knew his friends were alive. And if they were in trouble, then he was just the guy to save them.

A few minutes later a nurse came in to check his vitals and give him his sleeping pill. Finding the young boy already asleep she went against protocol and decided not to wake him.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews!! I'm glad you are enjoying the story and want to read more. I will try to update faster, but will only do one chapter at a time. I know, I know, but anticipation is really a good thing! 'Wager' by Ambrel (great story - great writer) taught me that.

Any way - here we go...

Chapter 4

His shoulder was being gently shaken and Finn stretched. Opening his eyes he expected to find the woman, Zella bending over him. Instead it was a nurse who on finding her patient now awake, began to prepare him for the meal she had brought in. Efficiently she raised the head of the bed, brought the rolling tray table over, uncovered the hot food and stepped back. Finn leaned forward and sniffed. He didn't quite recognize what was in front of him, some kind of meat, potato, soup, fruit and what looked like lumpy pudding. But it didn't smell half bad and his stomach growled, instantly famished. Seeing the young boy attack the food, the nurse nodded once and left.

As Finn was scraping his spoon at the last remaining bits of lumpy pudding he heard the door open and looked up to find a man in a gray robe standing there. As he stepped into the room he was followed by a very officious nurse, a chart in her hand. Finn swallowed hard. Time to do what he did best - play dumb.

At first the man, after introducing himself as the head Physician, merely checked on Finn, running his hands against Finn's side, listening to him breath deep, investigating his shoulder and arm and moving them in several different directions, all while humming and hemming, with the nurse glaring at Finn, her pencil scratching against the chart in her hand. The doctor then stepped back and observed his patient, who stared back with an open, wide eyed look. Finn glanced from one to the other with the playful innocence of an idiot.

"Harrumph. Well, now young man, you've been incredibly lucky. You survived injuries that could have been debilitating. Fortunately you're young and in excellent physical condition. All indications are that you will heal with no complications, however, I would advise against any extraneous activities and no lifting of heavy objects, do I make myself clear?"

Finn nodded his head several times.

"Humph, now then, we have some questions for you, nurse?" The doctor announced, turning aside. The stern faced woman marched up to the side of the bed.

"Name?" she barked.

Finn nodded, the same wide eyed innocent look on his face, a small vacant smile on his lips.

The nurse sighed deep. "You're name, boy. You must have a name, now what is it?"

This time Finn frowned a little and looked puzzled. He opened his mouth and intelligently said. "Uhhhhhhh." Looking from the scowling nurse to the doctor, he shrugged.

The doctor regarded him with narrow eyes and stood there, stroking his chin with one finger. Suddenly he strode up to the bed and gently grabbed both sides of Finn's head. Looking in one eye and then the other, the doctor began to feel Finn's scalp. Finn instinctively knew what the man was searching for and gave out an "Ouch!". The man looked closely at the spot but couldn't find any indication of injury.

"Can you tell me how many fingers I'm holding up, young man?" inquired the doctor, holding up three digits.

Finn happily nodded and opened his mouth again. "Ummmmm." He said smartly.

The doctor exchanged glances with the nurse and they moved to the end of the bed, where they whispered back and forth, glancing from time to time at the patient who stared back at them, smiling like a simpleton.

The Doctor returned to the side of the bed and patted Finn on the shoulder. "You just rest, young man, and we'll have this figured out in no time." The man said the words slowly and more loudly than necessary. As he turned to leave he said to the nurse as if Finn couldn't hear him, "Either we have a case of amnesia or the poor boy's mentally challenged. We'll run some tests in the morning, set up a full scan of…" his voice fading as they left the room.

The mentally challenged young man in the bed had to hold his hand over his mouth to keep his laughter from being heard. Grinning and chuckling at his ingenuity, Finn gave himself a couple of thumbs up. Man, no one could play dumb as good as he could.

Finn sat back with a satisfied sigh and looked around his room. He was becoming restless and still had at least an hour to wait until Zella showed up. At least he hoped she'd show up. Well if she didn't he just would have to sneak out on his own. He began to make a mental inventory of the rooms' contents in case anything might come in handy. Bed sheets would be good in case he had to climb down out the window, though he really didn't know what floor he was on and the closed drapes didn't help. At the very least they would give him something to wrap around him. He wasn't sure how much good the bed pan and sickup tray would do, but one never knew. In a pinch he could use the metal stand the plastic bag of liquid medicine was hanging on to bash somebody over the head with. Okay then, he'd been fed, he'd found clothes and a weapon. He'd give Zella an hour past the time she said and then he'd be out of there.

He shifted a little and his right hand came in contact with the control of the broadcast monitor. At first he tried to ignore it, but then switched it on. The news cast now was going on about the bad storms to the west. Finn shook his head. Sometimes he thought if there wasn't any weather to worry about, there wouldn't be any news. Every year they became concerned with the same thing they were concerned about the time before. As if winter, spring, summer and fall were brand new and happening for the first time. Finn was just about to click off the channel and hunt for sports when the same serious head appeared. Once more Finn watched the loop of the images, read the updates along the bottom, heard the man announce the tragic details. This time he watched as the pictures of each of his friends flashed on the screen as the woman's voice described each one. Aerrow was first and she went into great detail as how he was the last surviving descendant of the original Stormhawks (a small square lit up in the corner announcing the full history of the betrayed squadron would be covered at eleven), how he had taken the Sky Knight trials at such a young age and had passed them successfully. How he had joined up with four other young teens and with the recovery of the Condor, had led his teammates to victory after victory. Until now.

Finn made a rude noise at the screen. No, not until now, he thought, not ever. Aerrow was alive, there was no other choice. He and his leader would be patrolling the skies again in no time, defeating all who stood in their way.

Radarr was up next and his virtues as a loyal co-pilot to the Sky Knight were extolled. On and on the announcer droned about the mysterious creature's possible origins, its species and the amazing skill to be able to know so much without the use of speech.

Then it was Piper's turn, the announcer going over how she was a self trained expert on crystals, and an excellent navigator and tactician. The woman's voice continued about how the world of Atmos was certainly denied the further achievements of this remarkable young lady. A talking head in academia robes came out next, speaking about how Piper would have certainly been accepted in the college of her choice with multiple grants in several categories and how there was some talk of setting up a scholarship fund. Finn couldn't help but roll his eyes and then blushed. She may have irritated him sometimes, but there had been plenty of times he'd given it right back. Or started it for that matter. Finn sobered as he thought he might never engage in another sarcastic argument with her again.

Stop that, he thought to himself. Don't think that way. He turned back to the monitor as the screen then showed Junko's big grinning face. The announcer described how the young Wallop had left his home terra and had joined up with the team as their Heavy Ballistics Engineer. She described him as a typical Wallop, big, strong, mean and dumb. Finn scowled at the monitor. Where had they gotten their information - the Cyclonians? Finn could feel tears burning his eyes as he thought of the huge - yes, strong – darn right, but gentle and certainly not stupid Wallop.

Next was Storks turn to be profiled. Called a brilliant pilot who steered the great ship Condor through Wasteland, the Great Expanse, the Black Gorge and numerous other dangerous places, the announcer couldn't help but wonder how such a timid and paranoid being such as a merb would find the ability to take on such an important task. Finn again snorted at the screen - Jeez, where were they coming up with this stuff? Sure Stork was paranoid, but sometimes he had good reason. And there was nothing timid about this particular merb. Anyone that would sneak onto a Murkraider ship wasn't timid.

Finn sat up as his face appeared. The announcer gave his name and age and simply stated that he was the Stormhawk's wingman and sharpshooter. Then the program cut to a commercial.

Finn stared in shock. That was it? That was all they had on him? Radarr had been given more screen time. What about his musical talents, what about being the Great Domo of Vapos, or how the ladies were deprived of such a handsome, strapping young hunk? Finn snapped off the broadcast and sat back disgusted. Well he'd show them. They all thought the Stormhawks were lost, well wait till he found them and rescued them. Those idiots on the news channel would be telling a different story, now won't they?

He rose up again as he heard someone enter the room, but found it only to be another nurse. She calmly took his temperature and other vital signs and checked the level of liquid in the bag that was feeding into his arm. Then she held out two pills and a cup of water. Finn took them and started to place them into his mouth. Then he stopped and looked down at them with suspicion.

"What are these?" he clearly stated, looking up at the nurse. As soon as the words left his mouth Finn could have killed himself. So much for playing dumb. Crystal shards, he really could be dumb sometimes. Finn felt a cold chill wash over him as he watched the nurse for a reaction. But she just stood there and told him that the green pill was for pain and the white one would help him sleep. Finn sighed with relief. He popped them both into his mouth, shoved them quickly to one side with his tongue and took a huge swallow of water. The nurse nodded and turned to leave. Just as Finn thought the coast was clear she turned back and stared at him questioningly.

"What's your name? You look familiar." She asked.

"Uh, Stan, name's Stan. What's yours, you're kinda cute. Got a boyfriend?"

The nurse laughed and said she must be mistaken, and thanks for the compliment, but he was a little young for her. And finally left the room.

Finn could have melted off the bed, the sense of relief was so strong. Even though he was still angry about being slighted on the broadcast, the fact that they showed his face so quick gave him anonymity. If his tribute had gone on and on, they would have recognized him right off the bat. Quickly he spit out the remains of the pills and hoped they hadn't dissolved too much. He tried to pick out the pain pill but the green coating had rubbed off and he couldn't tell them apart. Which was too bad as his side and shoulder were becoming bothersome. Not wanting to chance it, he wrapped them both in a tissue and tossed them into the nearby wastebasket.

Once again Finn found himself fidgeting on the bed, but it was more from nervousness than boredom. Any minute he expected hordes of people surging into his room, having discovered who he was. Every noise made him look at the door, every footfall that passed by had him shrinking back and wincing. So when the door did open, he gave a small shriek and tried not to throw the covers over himself. He found himself looking into Zella's cool hued eyes as she gazed back at him with slight amusement.

"A bit jumpy are we? I take it you're ready to fly this popsicle stand?" She said, her tone gently teasing as she set down a package on his bed. "Here, get into these. They aren't your uniform, but they should fit. Your face is on the news and it's only a matter of time someone figures out who you really are." She stopped as Finn nodded furiously.

"I know, I saw it."

"Right. Now get out of bed and let's get that out of you." She said decisively.

Finn hopped out of the bed and took hold of the I.V. in his arm. Gritting his teeth he pulled sharply. Clear liquid continued to drip from the end of a large needle. Finn grabbed a handful of tissues and held them against the wound as it began to bleed. Then her hands were on his with a large bandage and he pulled back as she wrapped it tightly and quickly tied the ends.

"There, that ought to hold. Now I'll turn my back and you get dressed. We've got a lot to discuss and not much time."

Finn pulled out underwear, socks, a green shirt, brown-black pants and a pair of shoes from the bag. Quickly pulling the robe over his head as he couldn't seem to find the darn strings that held it together, he donned the clothes. As he did so Zella continued to speak.

"Now visitor's time is up in less than half an hour. Shift change happens in few minutes so they won't know who's been here and who hasn't. There is a signup sheet at the reception desk and I noticed a woman's name on it, and listed with it was her son. So from now on you're Rand and I'm Mrs. Tuell, but don't you call me anything but mom, got that?"

Finn nodded. Rand. Right. And for storms sake don't introduce yourself as Stan, stupid. "I'm ready. Mom."

She turned back with an odd look on her face. She gave him and up and down look. "Hmmm, coloring is a bit off for us to be related but it'll have to do. Now, 'son', how do you feel? Wobbly at all, weak, feel like you're going to keel over? Don't want you to be admitted back into the hospital for fainting as you're walking out the door."

Finn stood for a minute and took an internal inventory. He was a little lightheaded, but put it down for having lain in bed for so long. Painwise he could use something, but he would deal with it. "I'm okay, let's just get out of here."

She glanced up at the clock. "Let's give it about five minutes in case either the incoming or outgoing receptionist gets a case of the talkies. The real Mrs. Rand and son arrived about a half hour ago and they're visiting Mr. Rand, so they should stay till times up. "

Finn sat on the edge of the bed. He looked at the woman curiously. "Umm, what would have happened if there hadn't been a Mrs. Rand and son?"

Zella turned to him with a wide grin. "Then we would either have been Tika and her boyfriend Lem, or I'd have to talk in a deep voice and pretend to be Jek and you'd be his daughter Vian."

Grinning back just as wide, he decided he was beginning to like this woman. She seemed to get into the spirit of things as well as he did. He watched as she walked to the door and peered out. "Coast is clear, let's move."

Finn walked beside her as they strode calmly yet rapidly down the hall. He tried to look bored and irritated as any teen would that had been dragged along on a trip he didn't want to go on and leaned on the wall as his 'mother' signed them out. Then it was down a flight of stairs, across a large entry hall, through a set of wide doors and they were out. Finn took a deep breath of cool night air. He winced a little at the sharp stab in his side, but at least he didn't cough.

Rapidly they moved through the town's streets and reached the landing strip. At first they seemed to be making their way toward a sleek little number, a fancy family yacht that just screamed money and speed. But they walked right by it and continued to the far end. Finn made out a small ship and he eyed it doubtfully. Though all the metal was shined and there was no rust, it was old and really needed a good paint job. He seriously doubted that it would reach ten clicks an hour. As they neared it they could hear the joyous bark of the houndbeast.

"Well there it is, home, sweet home, the one and only Scumbucket. Not much to look at I know, but it gets me where I want to go. And it will get you where you want to go." Zella announced proudly. Finn bit his lip and followed her aboard. The craft was about sixty feet long and roughly fifteen feet wide and consisted of four rooms that ran in a row from fore to aft: combined pilot house and living room, kitchen, a tiny bathroom off a short corridor and then the bedroom. Below deck was the engine room and storage. Allthough clean, it had a shabby lived-in look. Finn sat down in a large soft chair and looked around as she made preparations to lift off. At the front behind the large window were the steering and engine controls, just as it had been on the Condor. He quickly located the time pulse beacon and the radio controls. Then down a step was the living room. On the right side where he was sitting there was a couch, the chair he was in, a side table and a low rectangular table. Behind the couch was a shelf of books. To the left side was a large desk, surrounded by shelves and drawers. He thought he could see something colorful on the desk but couldn't make it out. Arranged to one side of the desk in separate compartments were obviously pens and pencils, markers, tubes of paint and brushes. He suddenly remembered those pictures he had seen in her bedroom. All in all the room was about fifteen feet long.

He heard her call out to the traffic control that she was lifting off, then felt the barge lurch up and forward. He could hear the engine chuffing along as it strained to get the ship airborne. She swung the bow around and headed into the evening sky.


	5. Chapter 5

Hi! Another chapter up...I hope you enjoy it, not much of an advance in the action, but it establishes character and emotions...

Chapter 5

Finn looked up as the woman put the ship on autopilot and stepped down into the small area that designated the living room. She stood next to him and observed him. He had felt a strange lassitude come over him as they had flown away from the terra. The earlier exuberance had left him and he felt numb. What had happened to his need to rush, to find the crash site and any evidence of his friend's fate? Right now Finn felt as if he could become one with the chair, stay there until he had decomposed into it. He glanced back up at Zella and then away. She reached forward and put a steady hand on his shoulder, gave it a light squeeze.

"I'll be right back, gotta feed the beasts before they eat us." She said and left, disappearing behind him into the next room. Finn sat there and tried to find the energy to do something. Finally he shoved himself upright and began to walk around the room. Behind the chair he had been sitting in were more shelves, glassed in. He could see they held an assortment of mementos; a few pictures of Zella as a young girl in various poses, with or without other people. Turning left he perused the titles of the books. Most were about artists or artistic practices, with interesting titles like "Vasques, master painter of the Expansionist era' or 'The art of the pen", or "Draw with color". Yeah, he'd get right on it reading them. There was one whole shelf devoted to the mining and refining of hard metals. But she had some other books that looked more interesting - fantasy and mystery books. If he really got bored and had absolutely nothing else to do, he might thumb through one.

Turning around he stepped up to the desk. Snapping on the overhanging light, he found himself gazing on an unfinished drawing similar to the ones in her bedroom. It was small, only about four by five inches or so, and had an assortment of fine lines in yellows and blues on a black background. Curiosity getting the better of him, he looked into the drawers and found more drawings, and an assortment of art materials, some of which he had no idea what they were. He heard a small noise to the left of him and shut the drawer he had opened rapidly. He assumed a look of supreme concentration as she re-entered the room holding a small tray. She motioned for him to join him and sat it down on the long low table. He sat back down in the chair and saw that she had brought out glasses of freshly squeezed lemolime juice and a platter of assorted cookies. Even though Finn had eaten plenty just a couple of hours ago, he hungrily snatched up a handful and began to munch, washing it down with the cold, refreshing beverage. Zella had also grabbed a couple and was leaning back on the couch, her feet propped up on the low table. They ate companionably.

"So what do you think?" Zella suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

Finn gaped at her. "Umm, we find the remains of the so called Condor, see if it's actually it and if it's not, then, well… I guess I'll figure it out from there."

She looked at him. "Sorry, I actually meant that." She gestured toward her desk, the turned on light illuminating the drawing.

"Oh. Er, nice. I mean, actually I like it. I liked the other drawings too, the ones in your bedroom."

"You remember those? I'm flattered. You were pretty out of it. Glad you like them, they keep me from being a true starving artist, feed me and the critters, give me spending money. Enough to keep this old scow moving, too. But now that you mention it, what are your plans? Besides, as you said, find the wreckage."

Finn sat for a long moment. He really hadn't thought too much about it. Finding the wreckage was the next thing on his very short list. Finding evidence that it was a hoax was the second bullet point, though he really didn't know how he was going to determine that. He seriously doubted the wreckage would have a large 'Made in Cyclonia' sticker on it. Then, well then…what then? If it was a hoax he'd have to prove it. Then it would be a matter of exposing it and then rounding up the other squadrons and…

And forcing the Cyclonians to give back his friends? Ask them nicely to reveal their whereabouts? Laugh with them at the fine joke they had pulled and gosh wasn't it a really funny one. If the Cyclonians had gone to all of this trouble to capture the Stormhawks and hide them away, making it seem as if they were dead, they sure weren't going to be happy if somebody pulled the curtain away. And what would happen to his friends then?

Finn could feel a cold hand grip his spine. And just why would Cyclonia go to all this trouble? If they had captured the Stormhawks they would be crowing about it. The Dark Ace and Ravess and Snipe would be riding around from terra to terra, rubbing the Atmos' faces in it. What would they have to gain from keeping the continued existence of their hated enemies hidden? Outside of the obvious sorrow and consternation, the disruption of the safety that the Stormhawks had provided, what then? The reported deaths had caused that. Were they keeping his friends as future hostages? To be trotted out in an attempt to forestall continued hostilities? Or were they being kept as torture victims, to be tormented over and over for the Cyclonians delight? Was Master Cyclonis herself, right this very minute, executing vile experiments upon them? Finn closed his eyes and groaned, every fiber in his being sharing the imagined pain and terror his friends must be feeling.

Opening his eyes he once more beheld the woman's gaze upon him, patiently waiting for an answer.

"Like you said, find the wreckage. Then I'll go from there. I'm not exactly one for planning too far ahead. I find I like to keep things fresh, take it as I go. Sometimes a person can plan too much and end up getting caught in details." Finn frowned a bit as he realized he was putting Piper down without her even being able to defend herself, but it was true. He found that he was much better at taking things as they came, thinking on the fly. Much as he did when he took his shots; there was very little thinking, just find target, aim and shoot. If he took his time about it the target would be over the horizon.

"So, how soon till we get there?" he asked.

Finishing the bite of cookie she had just taken, Zella swallowed. "Four days at top speed. Which we're going now. Don't stand on the deck, you'll be blown away." She said wryly.

Finn sat forward. "Four days!! I could walk there faster!"

She motioned out the window. "Be my guest. But your feet are going to be mighty sore and there are a slew of critters down there that might have other ideas."

He sat back and pouted a little. Four days! That was forever!

As if she had read his thoughts she softly said, "I know, but it won't be forever. And it will give us time to find out more. Don't worry, we'll figure something out. That said, I still think it's a good idea for you to keep a low profile. If this is a hoax, and I said if, don't look at me that way, sonny boy, then it might be a good thing to keep you under wraps. The Cyclonians may just be looking for you to make sure their ruse stays undiscovered. In the meantime, I'll get you set up to stay here. You can sleep in my bed, I can use the couch."

Finn looked up in protest. There was no reason to give up her bed. True it would be more comfortable and he was injured and his shoulder was starting to hurt and his side ached but, still.

She glared at him. "No argument."

So he didn't.

He followed her back as she led him through the small but efficient kitchen, into the narrow corridor, pointing out the bathroom to him and telling him she had bought some personal items for him: toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, deodorant, that sort of stuff. He could use her soap and shampoo and if he didn't like it too bad. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Just because it smelled like Amazonian wild flowers shouldn't be a problem, right? Finn turned and gave her a look. At first he thought she was serious, then realized she was joking. He smiled back at her. They reached her bedroom. As she turned on the light Finn looked at two dark lumps curled up in the middle of it. He had wondered where her animals had been.

"Lazybutts, is that all you do is sleep? I swear, I'm coming back as a pet. Sleep, eat, sleep, play, sleep, then sleep some more. Get petted every so often, free meals and bark at a passing cloud. That's the life." She said as she shoo-ed Kara off and picked up the kitten. "Just shut the door and they won't bother you. In that bag are some sleepwear and more underwear. In the smaller bag are some pain pills, strongest I could buy. Your uniform is behind the door. I cleaned it and patched it up where it needed it. Your choice if you want to wear it. Now I'm pooped and I'm going to bed, good night and I'll see you in the morning."

She softly closed the door and Finn gazed on his uniform, swinging on its hanger. Darn right he was going to wear it. He was a Stormhawk and always would be. He shucked off the clothes he'd been wearing and went to take his uniform off the hanger. He buried his face in it and inhaled the familiar smell of leather. Then he thought not only of the trouble she had gone to buying him something to sleep in, but also the fact that he probably should take a shower first and decided to wait. Reaching into the bag, he removed the short sleeved shirt and shorts and pulled them on. Grabbing the bottle of pain meds, he shook out two. Cracking open the door a bit, he saw that there was a nightlight shining in the short corridor and the bathroom door was open. He took the two steps and entered the small room. Sink, toilet and shower were arranged in a semi circle, the door making the fourth side. Over the toilet was the window. He used the facilities, found the tooth brush and toothpaste and brushed the scum off his teeth. After swallowing the pills, he attempted to make some sense out of his hair and decided to wait for morning on that, too.

Returning to the bedroom he found a small black lump in it. He stared into its calm yellow eyes and shrugged. Keeping the door ajar in case it wanted to leave, he turned off the light and slid under the covers. Fluffing up the pillow he made himself comfortable. And lay there – wide awake. Images and memories flooded his brain as he recalled times spent with his friends, their missions and adventures. The timeclock, the race across Saharr, and the wild flight for the 'rozen yoga'. The even wilder flight when the Colonel had bought the Condor that they had traded in. Running from the Murk raiders, sneaking onto the Murk raider ship, which brought forth both times he had visited Vapos. His mind jumped from place to place. And smack dab in the middle of all those memories were the faces of his friends, smiling, shouting, happy, angry, fearful or determined. Finn couldn't help it, he buried his face into the pillow and cried.


	6. Chapter 6

Greetings! I updated a little faster as the last chapter was rather short (but sweet). This one takes another step toward answering questions, and getting more questions in return (if you got all the answers at once, where'd be the fun?). Enjoy!

ClairXStork - thanks for the reviews, I appreciate it and glad you like the story. And same to LzSmith8 & Hermonthis!

Chapter 6

Zella woke up and grimaced. She was getting too old for this, she thought as she worked a kink out of her shoulder. That will teach you for making nice and letting the boy sleep in your bed. She shook her head. As if I would allow him to do so otherwise. Still, what am I thinking, getting involved in all of this? She glanced over at the drawing on her desk. Golden yellow and blue and brown, with silver being added in. Giving her head another shake she moved into the kitchen and then into the hall. Seeing the door slightly open she peeked in. The teen was sprawled on the bed, covers every which way. Beside him slept the mirrcat and Kara was at the foot. The big houndbeast raised her head and thumped her tail, but didn't move.

"I'll say it once again," Zella whispered, looking at her animals in affection. "Lay-ze-butts. I thought you used to sleep in my bed to give me company, but now I see how it really is."

She turned and made her way into the bathroom and rapidly used the facilities, taking a quick shower and dressing with the clothes she had removed from the closet the night before. Stepping out she couldn't resist glancing back into the bedroom. None of the occupants had moved.

"Come on you two bums, this will get you to move. Breakfast treaties." She sang out softly. Both animals jumped down and followed her out to the kitchen. Putting their respective treats down, she watched them eat. Kara would have hers gone in two bites, but she had to watch the kitten. Sometimes the little beast would ignore his treats and go eat Kara's. And even though the big houndbeast outweighed the mirrcat by a good ninety pounds, the big baby would sit back and let him do it. Finding the two beasts eating as they should, she turned to get breakfast ready. She decided to make Cheesy eggs, as the aroma of bacon and onions and mushrooms and eggs and toast would rouse the young boy soon enough. She quickly fried up the bacon and began to cook the onions and sliced mushrooms in the fat, along with a little butter. She toasted the bread and laid two slices each on plates. Just as she was cracking the eggs to add into the frying pan she heard a noise and looked up to find a very sleepy face looking back at her.

"Morning! Sit right down, there's juice there and I can make coffee or tea, whichever you like. Some people prefer one over the other, but for me it's more of a whatever I feel like kind of thing. Breakfast will be ready in a jiffy. Bet you're hungry for some real food after that hospital slop, I know I would be. Here you go." She said and tipped half the pan onto his plate. Emptying the rest onto hers, she grabbed a bag of shredded cheese and placed a large pile on top of each egg mixture.

Finn picked up the fork and put some into his mouth. His eyes opened some more and he made a mumbled sound. Swallowing, he repeated himself. "This is really good." And wasted no time in eating the rest. She handed him a jar of jelly butter, the red kind, his favorite and he spread heaps of it on his toast. Then he drank his glass of juice in one long swallow and sat back, full.

Zella ate at a more sedate pace. She glanced over at the plate, inspected the surface. "Hmmm, not much left of the finish." She stated.

Finn looked down at his plate, wondering what she was getting at. Then his not quite awake brain caught on that she was teasing him again. Her dry humor was going to take some getting used to. He smiled back at her, sharing the amusement. He heaved a contented sigh and slid a little down into the chair. Even though he had slept a good ten hours, he could easily slip back into bed. He let out a large yawn.

"Whoa, save some oxygen for the rest of us." Came the woman's mild sarcasm. He glanced back up at her. He started to make a retort when he yawned again, just as widely.

"Maybe you should go back to bed." She said gently.

Finn stared at her. She actually was allowing him to go back to bed?

"Go on silly. You're body obviously needs more rest. And it's not like there is a lot to do. Granted I was going to have you scrub the entire ship top to bottom, stem to stern, but that can wait. Not to mention cleaning out the storage room and moving the living room furniture into the bedroom and vice versa."

Again Finn gaped at her. She said it so seriously and yet if you looked the lighter eye had a twinkle in it. He wondered how many people got caught in her quirky sense of humor. He grinned at her. "Tell you what, after my nap I'll get right on that. While I'm at it I'll paint the whole place as well, inside and out, okay?"

Her entire face lit up as he played along. She grinned back at him with enjoyment. "Watch out, I might hold you to it. Now go on, sleep the morning away."

Finn stood and stretched, stopping as he felt the hitch in his side. "Actually, I think I will take that shower. I'm pretty grungy. In fact I'm surprised you haven't noticed that I'm rather, er, ripe."

She turned to him holding her nose. "Who thaid I haddent?" she said nasally. Removing her fingers she continued. "Note the windows open and the fact I'm sitting down wind from you. Look, even the animals have their eyes crossed."

Finn actually found himself turning to look and stopped himself. He gave a "ha ha" look and she burst out laughing.

Standing up he began to gather his dishes, but she told him to git, she would take care of that. Finn nodded and made for the bathroom. He heard her call out about a robe on the back of the door if he cared to use it.

Finn discarded his clothes on the floor and turned on the shower. He quickly adjusted the temperature to something a little north of scalding and stepped inside, pulling the curtain closed. He found the shampoo and scrubbed at his hair, rinsed and did it again. Then he soaped up the washcloth he'd grabbed and attacked the rest of his body, washing away days of stink and grime. How had she stood him? He could barely stand himself. Finn washed areas he usually skipped over, like the inside of his belly button and between his toes. He really hated to clean between the toes, they always tickled and who looked at his feet anyway. As far as he was concerned, standing in soapy water counted as cleaning his feet. But this time he took great pleasure in making sure every inch of him was clean. He hoped he'd never be so dirty again. Guy can't get the ladies to look at him if he was all sweaty and grungy and smelly. Finn ignored the fact that they didn't look at him anyway.

Stepping out of the shower Finn noticed the ring of dirt around the bottom. He took a moment to clean it up, running the water until it had all swirled down the drain. Then he hung up the washcloth and toweled himself off. He folded the towel and laid it on the closed toilet seat. Normally he wouldn't be nearly so neat, but she was helping him and he didn't feel like being rude. Grabbing the robe he wrapped it around him and opened the door. He found two very interested pairs of eyes observing him. The mirrcat passed by him with a small mirrp and the houndbeast just sat there, tail beating against the wall. He moved into the bedroom and shut the door. Then opened it when he heard a whine and scratching. The houndbeast entered and jumped up on the bed. Finn closed the door again, only to open it once more when he heard a soft yowl. In marched the kitten with its tail up and joined the houndbeast.

"Can I close the door now?" he inquired politely.

Finn pulled his uniform off the hanger and got into it, the leather catching on his still wet skin. But it felt so good to be back into his thick necked undershirt, the blue and brown patchwork tunic over it, his dark grey-blue pants and fingerless gloves. Besides, he now had his chute on, cleverly shaped in the form of the Stormhawk emblem. No one went flying for long without their emergency chute. He noticed his armor stacked neatly on the dressing table, but decided to leave it off. Besides, the nap was now sounding good and it was hard to get comfortable with large plates of armor attached to various points of your body. Finn remembered to crack open the door in case the animals wanted out and pulled down the coverlet. He stopped in dismay. The entire bottom sheet was discolored. Realizing that all the dark stain had to have come from him, he blushed in embarrassment. No way could he leave this. Not only did he not want to sleep in it, but how disgusting. It wasn't even his bed. Finn tried to pull the bedclothes off but the animals just looked at him. He wasn't sure if they would allow him to push them off the bed and decided not to chance it. They may be silly animals to her, but they were her silly animals. They still had teeth, sharp ones, and the mirrcat had claws. He had felt the tiny points last night when it had been laying on his stomach.

He left the bedroom and went to find his hostess. She was standing at the controls, having taking the ship off autopilot. She turned at his approach.

"Felt like flying for a change. This thing will go wherever I set it, splurged on the auto system, but it's nice to feel the rudder and engine in my hands. Make me feel like I'm really doing something instead of just standing around."

Finn ran his hands through his hair, trying to make it stay back but the fine blonde strands kept falling over into his face. He had tried to make his hair stand up in its usual row of spikes, but he hadn't been able to find any kind of hair gel in her cabinets. He hated his hair being in his face. It got into his eyes and then he couldn't see.

"Uhh, Zella. Um, I'm really sorry, but I made a mess of your sheets. I should have taken a shower last night."

"Sheets'll wash. Although they and the dishes are going to have to wait, as someone who will remain nameless used up all the hot water. Doesn't grow on trees you know."

Finn blushed again. She reached out and messed up his hair. "Don't worry about it. The heating crystals will have it good and hot within an hour or so. Can you drive? Here take over."

Finn grabbed at the controls. He recalled the last time he had tried to drive an airship. It had not gone too well. Of course the wildly careening ship had been caused by Piper, Stork and Junko in retaliation for his going power mad and banishing them to their rooms. Finn's amused smile dimmed. He could feel his throat begin to tighten and clenched his teeth. He looked over at the round planet map and wondered where they were in conjunction with the so-called wreckage site. He could see a map scroll on the small table next to it, but couldn't quite make it out. He searched for the auto controls but the buttons and switches were different from the Condor's and the last thing he wanted to do was send them into a nosedive.

He heard Zella walking back to him and turned. She smiled at him. "There, bed's all changed and you can go in and take your nap now."

Finn gestured toward the scroll. "Where are we?"

Reaching around him, she turned on the autopilot. Grabbing the scroll she unwound it and laid it flat. He bent over it as she pointed out three locations. The terra that they had just left – very close to the second point - their current position, and then the third point, the wreckage site – very far away. Gazing at the scroll, he asked where it was she had found him. She searched for a moment and then turned to the planet map. Pointing to a feature on the scroll and then to the same smaller representation on the globe, she moved her finger down about a half inch.

"Right there give or take a bit. I can dig out the corresponding scroll if you like."

Finn looked from where her finger was, to the feature above it, to the same feature on the scroll and then to the location of the wreckage. Piper may be their navigator, but that didn't mean he couldn't figure out distances.

"No way. No way there could be that much distance between where you found me and the wreckage. Even if the Condor had been going top speed could they have covered that much ground. When did you say the Cyclonians announced the news, the morning after you found me?"

"Yes and they claimed they had shot down the Condor the day before."

"Ha!!" Yelled Finn and he began to dance around. "That's it, that's it, that's it!!"

He looked at her with the first hope he'd felt since he had fallen. "We went into battle that afternoon, I fell and landed on the terra. You found me that night and the announcement came out the next morning, don't you see? If we were fighting here, how could the wreckage have wound up way over there? It couldn't!! It would have taken over twelve hours to get to that spot!! Yeeehaaa, Yes, yes, YES!!"

Finn whirled around the small room, making the houndbeast bark madly and the mirrcat to streak into the other room. Collapsing on the couch he grinned madly at the bemused woman staring back at him.

"So now what, do you still want to check out the wreckage or find somebody with a whole lot more authority than me to tell?" She queried.

Finn sobered. He tried to come up with the best solution, but his mind kept going in circles. Quit thinking and go with your gut, that's your best option he told himself.

"Keep going. Like you said, I may be on a Cyclonian most wanted poster and the less seen of me the better. Once we get to the site, maybe I'll have thought up something."

Zella nodded and wandered over to sit in the chair. Finn's burst of exuberance had left him feeling energized. His friends were alive, he just knew it! In his current mood he felt he could storm Cyclonia armed with nothing more than a toothpick and come out ahead. He grinned over at the woman sitting to his left. His face fell as he noted her pensive look.

"What, what's wrong? You don't look like you agree."

She looked up at him. "Hmmm? Sorry, I was thinking of other things. I should get to work. No rest for the weary as they say." But she made no motion to move, just remained in the chair.

Finn gazed at her and began to wonder who she was. She knew who he was but outside of small details he had no idea who his rescuer was, where she came from, why she travelled the skies of Atmos with nothing but a couple of pets.

He glanced around for something to break the ice and settled on a picture of her and someone who obviously was her father.

"Was that your dad?" he asked. She looked up at him and then turned to gaze at the photo.

"Yes."

"Oh. What does he do?"

"He passed away many years ago."

"Oh. Sorry." Finn struggled to find something to say. The normally garrulous woman was now as close mouthed as a rock.

Zella closed her eyes and sighed. "No, Finn, it's I who should be apologizing. I've lived for too long by myself, I've forgotten how to make conversation. I've become almost a recluse and it's hard for me to open up." She caught his puzzled look. "I know I'm capable of talking your ear off, but when it comes to talking about myself, I find it hard. Easier to lock it away."

She suddenly stood up. "Well, if you're wanting the exciting times of Zella, I'd better bring in some refreshments. " She walked into the kitchen and returned with a platter heaped with fruit, cookies, a cut up loaf of sweet bread, butter, jam, a pitcher full of more lemolime juice and two glasses. Finn shook his head in amazement. She'd been gone about two minutes.

"Okay. First of all as you've noticed I'm an artist. I travel from terra to terra selling my creations. I make a pretty good living from it, enough to get by. I'll never be famous, but I don't need to be. Just need to do what I want. Which really, is all anybody wants and I'm fortunate to actually have it. I fly south in the winter and north in the summer and always keep the sun in my sights. Stop where I want to, leave when I'm tired of it, keep going if there's no reason to stay. I take my inspiration for my art from the colors of my surroundings, whatever intrigues me. It's not that I can't draw realistically, but honestly, does the world really need another painting of the Plains of Perdition?"

Seeing Finn shake his head no, she smiled and continued.

"So, you ask, how did a beautiful girl like me end up in a place like this?" She smiled at Finn with self deprecation. "One word. Cyclonians."

She stopped and remained silent. Finn really wanted another slice of the bread, but held back.

"You asked if that was my Father. He was the owner of a hard metal mining outfit. I was an only child. We were well off enough that when it was discovered that I had artistic talent, I was enrolled into an art academy. I was away for my second year when the Cyclonians invaded. Course you realize this was the first batch of Cyclonians, not the current bunch run by that Master Cyclonis. I know I don't look a day over nineteen but I'm a tad older than that." She said with a small smile. Sobering quickly she continued. "Anyway. The invaders called it mutual handing over of power, but we all know what that means. I never saw or heard from my family again. They were 'relocated'. I moved in with a distant aunt. Lived with her until I came of age. Found out I had a trust fund set up for me, to be used for further studies. I petitioned for it to be released to me under extenuating circumstances. Won and found myself with a bunch of money. Not wealthy, but enough that I could do something more with it than just survive."

Again she fell silent. Then she leaned forward and popped a purple fruit into her mouth and munched for a moment, finally swallowing.

"Bought this barge, outfitted it, splurged on the autopilot like a told you and a couple other things, like the deep radar scanner and the wide range radio and set sail for the far horizon. At first I just wandered aimlessly. Thought of seeing the sights, taking the grand tour, but the thought of all those tourists turned me off. I wanted to be apart, not a part. Not sure why I got back into drawing again, I had pretty much pushed that aside. Wasn't exactly feeling creative afterwards, you know. But one day I actually noticed my surroundings. Something about the mix of colors and hues and shades that I wanted to capture, take with me. Dug out my old school supplies and scrap of paper and tried to draw what I saw. But what I wanted wasn't the reality, but to convey the emotional. I stumbled on those drawings you see now by doodling, messing around. Couldn't create them fast enough. Finally found I had drawers full of them, crates of them in the store room. The old Scumbucket was beginning to founder from the weight, I swear. Thought of throwing them away, but the more I sorted through them, the less I could toss them out than I could Kara or Skeez. I don't know if you understand, but when you create something, it's like it becomes your child. At least it does for me. I suppose for other people it just another job."

She reached forward and took a long drink. "One day I happened to land on a terra that was having an art fair. Don't know why, but then I don't know why I do half the things I do, but I rented a stall and set up. Sold out by that evening. Guess people like what I do. Rest is history. I've got a list of fairs and what terra's they're on and the dates and travel from one to the other. In-between I look out the window and find a view that interests me and paint and draw."

"I was on my way to the next art fair when I stopped for the night on that small terra. I had seen the colors in the valley below and wanted to see what it looked like in the morning. Then I found you."

"And my life's been hell since." She said with sincerity. But Finn was getting wise and he could see that glint in her right eye.

"Yeah, hasn't been so hot for me either. Grabbed out of a hospital where I was trying to rest, set on by a vicious houndbeast and mirrcat and practically talked to death by a female hermit." He said equally seriously.

She stared at him for a minute, and began to shake. For an instant Finn thought he had read her wrong. But then she whooped with laughter and slapped her hands onto her thighs. "Oh my. Whoo, thank you Finn, but that is one of the things I miss. In case you haven't noticed I thrive on banter. I've tried to insult the animals but they just look at me and go back to sleep. And I wouldn't get too far if I made fun of my customers. There are a few vendors that I deal with that I can joke around, but sometimes I think they just humor me. It's rare to find that right mix of dry sarcasm and biting wit."

Finn grinned back, just as amused. And impressed. He too loved to joke, but all he had ever gotten was either a stern look from Aerrow, an aggrieved stare from Piper or a confused look from Junko. The only one that he felt had the wits to give back was Stork, and the merb usually responded with a blank stare as if to say such things were beneath him.

They ate in total companionship.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 is up!! In this chapter we explore Finn's & Zella's growing freindship -

Enjoy!!

Chapter 7

From that moment on it was if they had been friends all their lives. Finn found her to be very easy to get along with; her habits were very close to his. She loved to nap, liked to stay up late and sleep the morning away. Her choice of music wasn't quite to his liking, but you couldn't have everything. What you could have though, was a person who teased every aspect of your being, to the way you walked, to the sound of your breathing, to how you sat in your chair. And who you could do the same with. They were constantly going at each other, pointing out this or that with the driest of comments, each one trying to top the other until one or the other would start to smile. Then they would grin at each other. Only to start in on something else.

Finn had found himself watching her as she cooked. He was fascinated by the efficient way she worked in preparing their meals. Although he couldn't help criticizing her every move. Finally she turned to him.

"Okay, mister smarty pants, show me the proper way to peel a potato."

"Don't have a clue, but I'm sure it's not that way."

"Put that mouth where your money is, honey. I not only dare you, I double dog dare you."

Grinning Finn walked up to the sink and grabbed the spud. Holding the peeler he quickly began to run it across the surface. In no time at all he had the potato peeled. Granted half of it was in the sink, but it was peeled. Zella dropped her head in her hands and let out a long sigh.

"You're pathetic, you know that? Here let the master show you how." She grabbed another spud and peeled it. "See, child, nice even strokes, same amount of pressure, and when you're done you have something left that will actually feed you, instead of, well that tiny little morsel you have."

Finn grabbed another and began to peel it, this time taking his time and making an effort. "Like that, grand poobah of potato peeling?"

"Better, there just may be hope for you."

"Wow, I can peel a potato. I feel so special."

"Oh, you're special, all right. Now, think you're ready to move onto the fine art of mashing them, or do you want to wait until you've learned to walk and talk at the same time?"

Finn pushed at her with his hip. "Move over." He grabbed the masher from her and held it over the pot of potatoes. He looked up to see her regarding him with pity. "What?"

"You may want to cook them first, easier that way."

"Then why'd you tell me to mash them?"

"See if I could trick you. Nyah nyaah."

"You're mean."

"You're a brat."

"Meany"

"Brat."

"I know you are but what am I?"

"What in the world does that really suppose to mean? That is the dumbest insult."

"Whatever, see if I help you in the kitchen again."

"Oh like what you've been doing is helping? I'd get better results from tying an apron to Kara."

Finn choked with laughter and Zella turned towards him, laughing too.

For the next three days Finn lived a life he never thought he'd have. He was never far from her, lending her a hand with chores during the day, sitting on the couch at night when she drew, wisely making no smart aleck comment on that. She had started on another drawing, this one of earth tones and greens. He had asked to see the first one, but she said that it wasn't finished yet and had put it away for the time being. The only time he wasn't with her was when he slept. By mutual consent whoever tired first got the bed. That way she could stay up late working, or he could stay up reading. He had found the need to occupy his brain during the evening and she had recommended a good book and at first Finn was skeptical, but as he got into it he actually found himself enjoying it. She had of course teased him about being able to read.

And they talked. About just anything and everything. Finn learned which spoon to use when and the proper way to change the filter in the water heater. She heard about the best way to pull a skimmer out of a barrel roll and not to flush a magazine down the toilet. Though she already kind of knew that. He told her a little bit about his life as a Stormhawk and his friends, but found he couldn't speak for long on the subject. He would go silent and stare off into the distance. Then he would shake himself and start talking about something completely mundane, like how did skyfruit get their spots.

He rapidly got used to the animals too, and found himself rolling around the floor wrestling with Kara, an old thick glove on his hand, or chasing her around the ship till they both dropped from exhaustion. And in the evening while he was reading he'd find himself rubbing Skees's belly as the purring mirrcat draped itself upside down on Finn's abdomen.

Only at night did Finn allow himself to think about his friends. He wasn't sure why he seemed to block them out when he was with her. It almost seemed like he was another person. He could easily see himself staying with her, traveling with her. He would lie awake and try to figure it out. What was it about the woman that made him want to be so different? He actually wanted to help out with chores, clean the kitchen and bathroom, and help with the cooking. He was beginning to learn how to cook and had made waffles the other morning, under her supervision of course. But he had mixed the batter and poured it into the waffle iron and had pulled out light, crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside edible waffles.

And then it was the morning of the fourth day.


	8. Chapter 8

Hello readers! Finn and Zella have arrived at the wreckage site, what will they find? Who will they find? Read on...

Chapter 8

Finn woke on the couch and lay there. He was well aware of what day it was. And loathed it. Finn scowled and began to question himself. Why? Why are you dreading this? Why do you want your time with this woman to go on and on? You know why. Because deep down you're not sure it is a hoax. Never mind about the distance. You fear not being able to prove it's a lie. And you have no clue how to find them if it is. And most of all – most of all, you don't want to find out the lie is the truth. You don't want to face that they are gone, that they are dead. You've listened to the broadcasts at night and nothing more has been found. Cyclonia is still saying nothing different, insisting that the Stormhawks are destroyed, that a new era dawns for all Cyclonians, that it is only a matter of time before Master Cyclonis assumes her rightful place as ruler of all Atmos, blah, blah, blah.

And if it is true, what then? Join up with another squadron and fight on? Become a lone wolf like Starling and go it alone? Seek out revenge, die trying to avenge them? Or just fade away? He remembered his short biography and felt an uncharacteristic feeling of depression. It's not like the world thinks that much of you any way. You really think if you show up that you'll be treated like a hero? They probably would look at you in pity and try to push you off somewhere far away so they wouldn't have to deal with you. Be reminded by your presence of what was really lost.

So what now? Can you honestly say that you would stop looking, stop caring, stop wondering? And what if you're wrong smart ass? What if they are alive and hoping that their moron of a wingman will actually pull it together enough to come rescue them? And twenty years from now you hear of a story of how a bunch of teenagers died in a cell waiting to be saved. That they had been somebody important but the one person that might have made a difference decided that he couldn't do it, that it was too hard to figure out the truth and just snuck away.

You'd end up hating yourself. You wouldn't be able to meet anyone's eyes, let alone your own. And definitely not hers. And that's another thing. She's never asked me anything more about what I'm going to do. I know she's curious. And concerned. Yet it's the one thing she hasn't given me any advice on. Granted she's no warrior, but she's no dummy either. She's got more smarts in her little finger than I've got in my entire empty head. If I asked, I know she would do whatever she could. Storms, but she'd probably steer this old boat right into the heart of Cyclonia. No, whatever I decide, to carry on alone or join up with another squadron, she's through. She's done her part. I think I'd hate myself even more if something happened to her. And the stupid animals.

He sighed as he heard the sound of the shower. She was up. Time to start the day. Murmuring an apology to Skees who was once more curled up on his stomach, he stood up and made his way into the kitchen. He decided to make breakfast again and thought of the meal she had made him the first morning. He could do that, easily. She had shown him how to fry up bacon when she had made them peanut butter and bacon on toast sandwiches. Chopping the onions and mushrooms was no biggie, either. He wasn't as sure about the eggs, but as long as he kept the heat on medium they should be fine. It was one of her golden rules, only turn it on high to bring to boil. He recalled that the eggs were scrambled and that she had added the cheese after everything was done. Okay, first off, frying pan. Bacon, two - no make it four eggs. Onion and mushrooms, better chop those first. Toast, oh yeah, better make toast. Hmm, better set the table, you'll be watching the stove too much to take the time to do that. Finn whirled from one side of the kitchen to the other. How did she make this look so easy? It was breakfast for crying out loud, not some four course meal. Heck even Junko had produced his dishes all together. True they weren't anything other than a Wallop would want to eat, but still.

When Zella stepped into the kitchen she found a proudly disheveled Finn grinning back at her. She looked at the table that had plates and silverware in their proper places, glasses filled with juice. He gestured to her to sit down and then brought over the skillet and divided up the contents between them. He then laid two small dishes, one of bacon and the other of buttered toast between them. And if the bacon was a little too crispy and the onions and mushrooms overcooked, the toast slightly soggy and the eggs could have been scrambled a little more, she said nothing. Even though she wanted nothing more than to begin teasing him as normal, she held back. She was aware what day this was. Instead she complimented him on his growing cooking skills and ate it with relish.

She too had lain awake and knew that whatever happened today, that she doubted her time with the young man would continue. He was reaching a crossroads and she knew whichever one he turned down, it would be one she wouldn't, couldn't follow. Even if she wanted to. She wondered about her attraction to the young teen. Part of it was a mutual admiration for each other's quick wit. Another was her long self imposed exile that masked the craving for company. Yet another was her long dormant motherly instincts, which had taken him in under her wing and let her teach him and instruct him and pass down her wisdom. She wanted to ask him, beg him to stay. Live with her and never leave. She had taken in Kara and Skeez as strays and here she was trying to adopt another. Did she really think he'd forget all about his friends and sit at her feet for the rest of his life? She had noticed how he had seemed to avoid mentioning his friends and knew it was because he was barely holding himself together. That he had pushed his worry and concern and his fear deep inside him and acted as if he hadn't a care in the world. She had pushed her own worry and concern and fear for him aside as well, and had entered into the make believe world they had shared for so brief a time. Until now.

Finishing her breakfast she helped him clean up. Neither said a word to each other. Even the animals seemed to sense something was up and stayed close, neither one heading off for the usual after breakfast nap. Finn held out the last of the dried dishes and Zella put it away, closing the cupboard with an audible click. Then they turned and moved to the living room where Zella settled into the chair, and Finn sat on the couch. As one they rested their feet on the low table. The only sound was Kara's deep groaning sigh as she settled next to Zella. Skeez leaped silently to lie above Finn on the back of the couch.

At first all the two of them did was sigh as heavily as the houndbeast. It was Zella who moved first. She sat up and slapped her thighs.

"Oh, enough of this. We're both adults, we knew this was coming. If wishes were crystals we'd be buried in them. Come on."

Finn stood up and followed her to the bridge. He waited as she brought forth several map scrolls. Selecting a couple she opened them up.

"Okay, here we are and there's the wreckage. As far as we know there aren't any guards on it. I've listened to chatter on the radio and haven't heard anybody being warned off, to stay away. Actually that kind of surprises me, I doubt they'd want a bunch of gawkers hanging about. Maybe there are guards and they're keeping a low profile. Anyway, there are two approaches, one from the southwest or this one - that takes us through this pass and into the valley. As you can see neither are the safest, but routes rarely are when descending into the wasteland. Lava fields on one side, steam geysers on the other."

"And smack dab in the middle is the wreck of the Condor. Funny how it managed to land in the one stable area of this section of the wastelands." Finn pointed out.

"Hmmm, said the blind man, I think I see what you mean. Even ten feet in any direction and it would be swallowed. That's pretty amazing coincidence, ain't it?" Zella remarked, looking at Finn with narrowed eyes. He noticed that the glint was in her darker eye.

"Yeah, remarkable. Look, you know this ship better than me, so whichever way you feel is best."

"Turning around works for me. No, I'm not joking. This feels very wrong and not just because we're purposely going into the wasteland. I don't know Finn, I've got a very funny feeling about this…"

So did Finn. It was odd that there had been no challenge from a guarding squadron, not even a news boat or sightseeing tourist, overcome with curiosity to brave the wasteland and look at the wreckage of the once famous Condor. He turned and walked back into the bedroom and secured his armor in place. Not for the first time did he wish for his lost crossbow. He suddenly began to question the wisdom of taking an unarmed converted barge into the wastelands on a hide and go seek mission. What if it was a trap? Throw paper at them and hope the enemy would be dealt debilitating paper cuts? Hang off the stern of the ship and kick his legs fast, hoping to get the Scumbucket to go faster than a sedate walk? He wondered if he could make a slingshot, sharpened pencils could do in a pinch.

Shaking his head and wondering if she was right, that maybe they should turn around, he walked back to the bridge. She had turned on her deep sonar and was taking readings. As he stepped up to her, she indicated the readout.

"Picking up something, but I'm not sure if it's just magnetic resonance from the lava fields. One second there's a blip and the next it's gone. But I do have something right there.' She said, pointing. "Whatever it is, it's on the surface and it's bigger than a breadbox. Corresponds with the wreckages location. That was something else, too. The Cyclonians made sure to give the exact latitude and longitude. Like they wanted to make sure it was good and found. No questions asked, here it is folks, come check it out. On one hand it makes sense, the Cyclonians would want to make sure everybody knew that the Stormhawks had been taken out. Still, seems too…easy. Too cut and dried."

She turned to Finn with a daring smile. "Guess you've convinced me. Ready? Then let's go!"

She cut the engines and they began to descend into the thick low clouds. Her eyes never left the deep sonar scanner as they approached the surface. Finn had his face glued to the front windshield, his eyes scanning for a break in the zero visibility. Gradually he began to notice the clouds glowing red from underneath and knew they were getting close. He heard Zella call out that they were nearing one hundred feet from the surface. Both of them jumped as a strident voice called out over the radio.

"Turn around, now! You are entering restricted air space. By order of the Sky Council, you are to return to the top side immediately!"

Zella pulled the ship to an abrupt halt and gave Finn a look of desperation. She began to reverse thrust and the ship groaned as it slowly began to rise. Once more the voice came over the radio, its tone demanding.

"Do you read? You are to ascend immediately or you will be taken into custody."

Zella reached for the radio, but was stopped by Finn. She looked questioningly at him. His eyes were wide and a grin was beginning to spread over his face. He knew that voice!

Thinking fast he told Zella to make contact but to ask the person to follow them up, that she had information regarding the wreckage of the Condor and the disappearance of its crew. He told her to call the woman by her name – Starling.

Zella thumbed the button on the radio, the one that made her response reach only the caller. Finn was impressed, he hadn't thought of that.

"Roger that Starling, this is Zella of the personal barge Scumbucket. I am complying with your order, but please be advised this ship is very slow in responding. In addition, I respectfully request you accompany me up to terra level. I have on board someone who may hold an answer to the loss of the Stormhawks."

For a moment there was only static. Then the female Sky Knights voice came back. "Acknowedged, Zella. Can you give me any more information? You have not been the first to show up with 'answers'."

Zella turned to Finn, who shook his head. She turned back to the radio. "Let's just say you'd be surprised at his knowledge. Please, meet us topside. You will not be disappointed."

Again silence, then a grudging "Very well."

It seemed to take a long time for the Scumbucket to break through the clouds. As they finally emerged into the afternoon sunshine they could see a skimmer waiting for them. Finn had stepped out onto the deck and was standing at the prow of the boat. He waited as the skimmer swooped toward them. He could just make out the purple hued hair of the older Sky Knight and then couldn't help but break into a wide grin as her mouth dropped and her green eyes, darker than Aerrow's, opened wide. He watched as she brought her ride to a halt and hung there, ten feet separating them, staring at him in wonder, disbelief and growing amazement. Slowly she brought her skimmer closer until he could have reach out and touched her. She still stared at him, her eyes running up and down.

"Finn. How? You're alive… How? All reports were that the Condor went down with all hands. How is it that…" She gave one long blink and her face became stern. Looking past him at the woman standing behind the controls, she barked for them to follow her. She turned her skimmer and streaked across the sky, returning as she realized the barge was doing its best to keep up. She circled, her gaze rarely leaving the slim figure of the blond standing on the deck. About ten minutes later a small rocky terra came into view. Zella landed and pushed the button to release the boarding ramp. Then she stood in the doorway, just behind Finn and waited for the female Sky Knight to arrive.

As Starling walked toward them she felt her thoughts whirling in her head. Of all the Stormhawks to have suddenly reappeared she would never have expected it to be the yellow haired marksman. She wasn't sure why she felt that way. Yes he was incredibly talented with his sharpshooting skills and there was no questioning his loyalty and spirit. But he was so darned…irritating. The few moments in which he shined always seemed to be overshadowed by his overblown conceit, his childish behavior, his annoying selfishness and his frustrating lack of brains. That he had somehow managed to survive was to her, astounding. Wasn't he always getting knocked off his ride? And his close quarters combat skills were shaky at best. She frowned deeper. She had been shaken to the core at the news of the Stormhawks being defeated. She too, questioned the validity of it. And she was not the only one. Harrier, along with his squadron the Rex Guardians and Tritonn from the Neck Deeps had joined her in patrolling the skies around the wreckage, making sure no treasure seekers made off with even a bolt, keeping away the looky-loos. They had held many a conversation in which they debated the evidence, trying to find something that would point to the whole situation as being less than the truth. She knew that the entire colony of Blizzarians, led by Suzi-Lu, had scattered to every spot on Atmos to ask questions, gather even the smallest scrap of rumor.

But nothing they had heard had given them even the slightest indication that one of the valiant team had survived. Though there was that hospital that swore that someone answering the description of Finn had been there, but escaped. She had one of her operatives check it out, but the information was unreliable. There hadn't been any official name, the teen may have resembled Finn in being the same age with blond hair and blue eyes, and only one nurse insisted that he was the same as the one being shown on the newscasts, but that his name was Stan, not Finn.

Yet here he stood. Staring down at her with an expression of delight and happiness, mixed with relief and concern, his azure blue eyes seeking a million answers to a million questions. She glanced past him at the older women standing behind him, who looked back with calmness that conveyed dignity and respect. The three regarded each other for a long moment.

Zella nudged the young male in front of her. "Don't just stand there, you'll swallow a fly. Stand back and let the young lady come in."

Finn gave a start and turned. "Oh. Yeah. Uh, Starling, um, come on in." He gestured behind him. Starling followed him into the first room and stood there, her eyes adjusting to the lower light and giving herself time to take in the surroundings. She found she liked what she saw. Comfortable and unpretentious, everything laid out in order, nothing superfluous. It suited her own sense of order and compulsion to travel light, keeping her personal possessions to the bare minimum. She noticed that Finn had sat down on the near edge of the couch and joined him, sitting at the other end. Zella looked from one to the other and then turned to Starling.

"Welcome to the Scumbucket. As you've probably surmised I'm Zella. May I get you anything, coffee, tea?"

Starling gazed back and politely requested tea, thank you, no sugar or milk, but a little tang fruit if there were any. Zella nodded and went into the kitchen.

Finn sat there and found he couldn't speak. There was too much to say and he couldn't seem to form his thoughts on any one thing. He knew if he started to talk that his words would just rush out of him in a jangled mess. He stared at the green eyed woman that gazed back at him. He suddenly felt nervous under her intense scrutiny and he fidgeted a little. He felt great relief as Zella returned with her usual platter and handed out cups of dark, steaming liquid. Finn added four heaping spoonfuls of sweetener to his. Zella gave him a look but she added three to her own cup. Starling squeezed a wedge of dark yellow tang fruit into hers, took a sip and declared it delightful. Zella sat down in her chair and the three took a moment in concentrating on the drinks in their hands. Kara decided that the new stranger wasn't going to eat her and bounded into the room, tail threatening to knock over the pot of tea. Starling laughed and held out her hand, which the houndbeast promptly stuck her cold wet nose into and gave several licks.

"Kara, come, sit." Zella said with authority. Kara, always mindful, plopped at her feet and turned over, one paw in the air. "Yes, I know, chest rub." Zella remarked and reached out the toe of her shoe and gave in to the houndbeast's demands. All three felt the relief of having the awkwardness broken.

Starling set down her cup decisively and turned toward Finn. "All right, speak. How is it that you're here, alive and well?"

Finn's tongue had become untied and he filled her in on all the details, with help from Zella who contributed the parts he either didn't know or couldn't remember.

"And so we came here. I need to see it, Starling, I'm sure you can understand that. I don't believe they can be gone, not like that. There has to be another answer." He sat forward, his youthful features set, his eyes boring into hers. Starling thought about how this young man could go from being a silly doofus to one who sat as he was now, full of conviction, determined to go to all lengths. But she knew that, she had seen it on more than one occasion. Why did it always take her by surprise?

The female Sky Knight nodded. She then told them that they were not alone, that others shared the same thoughts, questioned the seemingly overwhelming evidence. "I agree you need to see it. Your sharp eyes may spot something we haven't. If you're ready we should go now, light won't last long on the surface." She said, standing up. Finn instantly stood up with her. Finally, he was taking action. And it was with someone who came from his own standings, who understood what he felt. Then he blushed a little. He glanced at Zella from the corner of her eye but she seemed not to notice. Idiot, he told himself reproachfully. You wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her. You probably wouldn't even be alive if it hadn't been for her, you'd be a frozen Finnsicle, still sitting against that wall. Why do I do that, dismiss people so easily? Sometimes I can be really shortsighted.

Starling had moved to stand by the door and waited for him. He looked down at the woman that was still sitting in her chair, looking into her teacup.

"I'll be back." he promised her.

"You'd better, or I'll never forgive you. Though it sure will be peaceful again."

"You'd miss me and besides, who would you get to clean out the garbage chute?"

"Somebody better than you, that's for sure."

"You know, anybody tell you you're a mean old woman?" he said, sticking out his tongue.

"And I bet no one's ever called you a mouthy brat before, you mouthy brat." She replied, pushing her nose up with one finger and crossing her eyes.

They could sense Starling staring at them with astonishment as they insulted each other with wide grins on their faces. But it felt so good to banter each other once more. Finn gave the older woman an impudent wink and followed Starling out the door.

Zella thought about standing up and watching the two take off, but she found she couldn't get out of the chair.


	9. Chapter 9

Finn has arrived at the wreckage site and is joined by Starling, who shares his concerns and questions. Along with some of her own. Hang on tight...

Chapter 9

Finn held tight as he and Starling spiraled down to the surface. Quickly they broke through the under side of the lowest clouds. He had time to ask her if she was going to let the others know about him. She had remained silent for a few moments and then had decisively shaken her head. She agreed with him that it would be best to keep it quiet for the time being. Starling was naturally suspicious and could feel it in the very marrow of her bones that something just was not right. Never mind the obvious of the Stormhawks being defeated by a squadron of Talons. In her conversations and inner musings she had found disturbing gaps and holes in the story and actions of the Cyclonians. She wanted to share her findings with Finn, but decided to wait until he had a chance to see and explore the wreckage. She wanted to not only hear what he had to say, but also observe his reactions. She found she often got more out of the subconscious than the spoken thoughts. Thoughts could be edited, suppressed. Unless one was a supreme actor, or a highly trained agent such as herself, most people had no idea how much they gave away in the shift of eye, the change of stance. Not that she suspected Finn of anything, storms no. But he might see something that would not register on the conscious self, find an answer without even knowing it.

She maneuvered around the hot rising gases of the lava fields and began to approach a small area of solid ground. Peering through the noxious mists, Finn could make out a few hunks of metal strewn across it. She circled once and then landed. Finn looked around, the only recognizable piece being the remaining front half of the portside engine. And even that was so crumpled, twisted and burned as to be barely identifiable. The other pieces he had a harder time figuring out what they were. Maybe a bulkhead here, perhaps part of the rudder there. Nothing screamed that it wasn't the Condor. But then nothing screamed that it WAS the Condor. He walked up to the engine and tried to make out the barely discernible image of the Stormhawk insignia. Only the left side of the wing was left, half of the body showing. It looked right. He stepped closer and rubbed at it with his fist, trying to clean off the dirt and scorch marks. He could see it was blue, and thought it was the right color, but then when had he last really looked at it. Junko was the one who had touched it up when they restored the Condor to flying condition. Finn had found something more intriguing to do, like sneak out and read a magazine. He stood back and found Starling observing him closely. Pulling his mouth to one side he gave her a small shrug. As Finn looked around he realized that outside of the engine, there really wasn't much to actually identify the ship as being the Condor. No bridge, no quarters, no hanger bay. In fact there weren't even any storage bins lying about. The only thing that was here were the twisted hunks of metal. Finn narrowed his eyes.

"What is it Finn. What do you see?"

"It's not what I do see, so much as what I don't see. There's nothing smaller than that piece of whatever over there, and it's bigger than me. Where's all the scrap and crap and stuff? How come there aren't any boxes and crystals and clothes and personal stuff? Where's my guitar and Junko's junk and Stork's containers of this repellent and that disinfectant?" He looked at the woman next to him. "I don't even see one of those stupid chickens that are always hanging about!"

Starling hid her smile, but inside she was beginning to feel exhilaration. "The stuff could have fallen into the lava fields, been strewn somewhere else." She pointed out.

"Mayyy-be. But doesn't it strike you as odd? The place almost looks clean, too clean, like it was…"

She waited for his conclusion. "Yes?" she prompted.

Finn took a deep breath. His gut instincts were yelling at him that he was right and when had he ever ignored his gut instincts?

"It looks staged."

"Precisely."

Finn gazed at her with growing excitement. She saw it too. He suddenly realized that he hadn't shown her his other information about the distances.

"Come on, we need to get back to the Scumbucket, there's something you need to see!"

They raced back to her skimmer and took off.

Finn was practically bouncing in his seat. Another clue, another confirmation that something just wasn't right! And now he had more help on his side! Starling was smart; she would be able to figure things out. Things he just couldn't seem to grasp. All though - he had figured these things out on his own. Soon! He could just feel it. Soon, he'd find his friends. They were alive; there was no question about it.

As they approached the top of the terra, Starling slowed. Turning to Finn she yelled back. "What do you know about the woman, Zella?"

"Zella? She's okay, she's great. Really cool."

"Do you know anything about her history?"

"Yeah, her dad owned a metal mine that was taken over by the old Cyclonians. She managed to escape by being away at art school. She grew up, bought the boat and became an artist. Why?"

"No reason. I'm an Interceptor, remember? It's my nature to be curious."

Oh. Right. Finn opened his mouth but they had reached the top of the terra and then they had landed.

Finn hopped off Starling's skimmer and ran up the ramp, yelling at Zella to hear what they had found, Starling following at a slightly more sedate pace. They found the woman sitting at her desk, pencil in hand. She listened to Finn as he poured out his findings. Then she followed behind as Finn dragged the Sky Knight over to the charts and maps, where he showed the purple haired women the distances between where he had gone down and where the Condor had gone down. Starling measured out the distances and calculated the rate of speed that the Condor could make and sustain. Finn was correct; it would have taken the Condor practically half a day to travel between the two spots.

"That would have put the time down as being in the early A.M. that the Condor would have been shot down, not the late afternoon of the previous day. And as such, does not explain how the Cyclonians took that photo of the wreckage and had it released by the next morning. Yet another oddity. "Starling walked back over to the couch and perched on the arm. "Any thing else that you've found out, any odd questions raised?"

"Well, outside of the probability of the Stormhawks being defeated by a squadron of Talons, no. Oh, and how come the Cyclonians haven't produced any more 'proof'? Seems to me that they would have gathered everything they could find and be sending it out on a tour." Finn just had a horrible thought. "Unless, that's why we didn't find anything, becuase there isn't anything."

Starling shook her head. "No, I don't think so. The Cyclonians are not the most subtle of folks. If they had anything, it would have been out there for all to see. The only thing we've received is their story and the picture of the crash site."

Finn perked back up. "Yeah. Other than that, I got nothing."

"Then let me fill you in on what we've managed to come up with. Those that have seen the wreckage agree - not enough debris. We had investigators on the scene within a couple of hours after the Cyclonians released the photo. Unless the Condor had broken up in much smaller pieces, there should have been something found besides those larger hunks of metal. On top of that, it's miles away from the nearest Cyclonian outpost. What would a squadron of Talons be doing so far out? And the Cyclonians said that the mighty Stormhawks had been taken down by a lone squadron of heroic Talons, etc. No mention was made of a cruiser, battleship or carrier, plus my spy network confirms that there was no Cyclonian activity in this sector."

"Then," she continued. "There's the complete lack of Cyclonian movement since then. There's only been talk about how this is a great victory for them and it's just a matter of time before they subdue the quadrant and then Atmos itself. Which of course they've been saying for years. But we've kept an eye on them and all their units haven't moved, either patrolling the same patches of sky or ground-docked at their bases. And there has been no indication of troop buildup. Why would they wait so long to strike, when they have the opportunity to do so now? The planet is stunned. The longer they wait, the more the defeat of the Stormhawks will become a rallying cry. It already is. Sentiment is turning from shock to anger. "

"And now this. All reports from Cyclonia insisted that all hands went down with the Condor, that the sneak attack had caught you by surprise and that no skimmer had been able to leave the ship before it burst into flames and plunged into the wastelands." Starling looked at Finn with a piercing gaze. "Yet, here you are."

"Here I am." Echoed Finn. As he had listened to Starling's list of inconsistencies, he grew more puzzled than ever before. It just didn't make sense. Instead of answering questions, it raised them. And first and foremost was one burning query. "So, if they weren't shot down, where are they?"

"Well, that's just it, isn't it? We've got eyes and ears all over this planet and there has been no sight of them. My inside sources in Cyclonia tell me that there has been no added security to any of the prisons, no mysterious arrivals, no sudden blackouts on any of the hanger caverns big enough to hold a ship the size of the Condor. The last we heard, Master Cyclonis is still in her castle fortress, Snipe and Ravess are still stationed in the lower quadrant. The only one we have not been able to account for is the Dark Ace and the last place he had been seen was hundreds of miles from the wreckage.

The Sky Knight and the sharpshooter gazed at each other in frustration.

"Could this have been the doings of a rogue squadron?" Came a voice from the side. They both looked over to where Zella was lounging in the chair. She returned their gaze with thoughtfulness.

"Now, mind, I may be talking out of turn here, and my idea may be half baked. Haven't quite thought it all out yet, so forgive me if I start to make nonsense. What if a rogue group, Talon wannabe's decided to attack the Condor? Gain Cyclonian fame and fortune. Now, two things could have happened – A: they were successful and took down the Condor, reported to the Cyclonians and the Cyclonians are also reluctant to buy it. The wannabe's can't produce proof of their own outside of their word. So Cyclonia sits tight and lets us do the investigating. I know, I know, as a theory it's got bigger holes in it than the wasteland. Wait, it gets worse. Theory B: the rogue squadron was unsuccessful but did manage to damage the Condor so it lost some of its parts. Maybe they think they took it down, reported their success to the Cyclonians who again don't quite buy it. But somewhere the Stormhawks are licking their wounds and hoping to be found by freindlies. Granted it doesn't explain the distance question, but it could be why the Cyclonians aren't jumping all over this and why the Stormhawks haven't been found. "

Finn stared at her. He looked over at Starling who was regarding the other woman with a strange look, one of respect mixed with…acknowledgement? He watched as the female Sky Knight seemed to bow her head at the older woman. Turning back he saw Zella give a half smile and drop her eyes. He began to look back and forth like at a ping-pong match as the two women began to trade words.

"Okay, let's go with option B. Radio?' Asked Starling.

"Knocked out."

"Their skimmers?"

"Hmmm, good question, told you it was half baked. If the Condor was damaged enough to lose part of its engine, it would probably have crash landed. Their skimmers may have been damaged in the landing as well. Or the Stormhawks themselves."

Finn was starting to feel a bubble rising inside him. They were on to something.

"Still doesn't explain the wreckage site. Why would the parts be here and in that location?" Starling posed, frowning.

Both women became silent as they tried to work out the conundrum.

"Can't think of anything, crystals." Swore Starling.

"So much for my theorizing. Once an artist, always an artist."

Finn sat there just as silent, but he was chasing the bubble that had risen until it was just under the surface.

"Hoax." He muttered. "I knew it."

"What's that, Finn?"

"Yes, that's it!" Finn yelled and leaped over the table, turning to face the women. "The parts of the Condor were placed there to fool everybody, keep them from looking in the right place. What if the Condor was attacked after I fell, the guys would have raced back to it. Maybe they made it back, maybe not, but if the Condor was damaged enough, or maybe the Cyclonians damaged it so they could take the parts. Wait, ok," Finn halted, his face in a frown as he realized that he was just babbling out his theory. He closed his eyes tightly and found his center, calming himself. "Here's what I think. Somehow the Condor gets damaged, the Stormhawks come up missing and the Cyclonians are out hunting for them. They plant either real parts or a really good replica and tell everyone that they destroyed the Stormhawks and come look, here's where we did it. That leaves them free to search the real wreckage place for the missing Stormhawks. They claim everybody's missing because they don't know I wasn't part of them. Nobody saw me fall."

Starling gaped at Finn as she rapidly figured out the logic of his reasoning. She began to nod as parts began to fall into place. She quickly stood up and moved to where the maps were, bringing them back and spreading them on the low table. Both Finn and Zella kneeled next to her.

"Ok, here is where you landed, Finn. So the fight happened around this area. What time was it that you were attacked, around three in the afternoon? So, say the team had to retreat to the Condor, the Condor is severely damaged and lands, the Stormhawks survive and manage to hide in the wasteland, then it would give the Cyclonians time to set up the false wreckage site, film the wreckage, put out the newscast and then sit back while we all scramble. Meanwhile they're free to search the real landing site."

"Or the Stormhawks were captured but are being held there." Chimed in Zella.

"True, why move them to a prison if they're more secure where no one's looking. Though I still think that if the Cyclonians had the Stormhawks they'd be parading them in chains. But I have been known to be wrong." Starling mused.

Finn was bouncing up and down. "Quit talking and let's go! We're wasting time when we could be halfway there by now. Round up everybody, the sooner we start searching the quicker they'll be found!"

The two women exchanged mirthful looks. "The boy does have a point." Observed Zella.

"Indeed." Agreed Starling.


	10. Chapter 10

The next installment! The three are are now on their way to the original attack site. Will Finn be able to hold it together?

Chapter 10

Starling circled above the barge, informing Harrier and Tritonn that she was leaving to check out a rumor. She wasn't quite ready to commit all resources to Finn's speculation, though it certainly sounded plausible. Meanwhile Zella was plotting the fastest route back to the terra on which she had found Finn. Finn paced behind her, his face set and his fists clenched.

He could have torn out his hair when he realized that the Scumbucket would take two days to reach the site. He hadn't wanted to leave his benefactor behind but he needed to get there, now. However, Starling informed him that by having to detour to a supply depot to pick up a deep sonar, along with charging up her skimmer, it would still take them a day and a half. And that was with minimal stops. Since the barge already had a deep sonar, it would come in handy. Finn wondered if there was any way for Starling's beloved Red Streak to pull the barge. If he could, he would have pushed.

His mind ran through his theory over and over. It had to be, it just had to be, he was right, he knew it! He wasn't sure about the details, had the Stormhawks been overtaken with reinforcements or had a battle cruiser showed up and taken a well aimed shot at the Condor? Something had to have happened that caused the Condor to lose the left engine. Had they gotten away before or after the crash? Had they been on their rides or on foot? Were they safe of had they been hurt? So many questions and Finn wanted an answer right now. Patience was not his strong suit.

"When you get down to the storage room, pick up the hammock, will you?" Came Zella's wry voice.

"Huh?" Finn said distractedly.

"You're going to wear a hole in the deck. I know you're excited and raring to go and want to get there and help your friends. We all do. But you'll go out of your mind if you don't settle. Not to mention driving us out of our minds. Ah, here she comes." Zella said, looking forward to where Starling was bringing her skimmer around. With expert precision the purple haired Sky Knight dropped down below the ship, then roared up, cutting the engine and retracting the wings at the same time, making a perfect landing on the wide foredeck. Zella finished setting the course and airspeed into the autopilot and turned around just as Starling entered.

"It's all set." Announced the younger woman. "I've contacted the nearest squadrons to converge on the coordinates. With them being so scattered, they won't arrive until hours after we do, but at least they're on the way. I didn't give them any details and ordered complete silence, don't want this leaked out and if the Cyclonians are still searching, definitely don't want to tip our hand. Harrier and Tritonn will remain behind to give the appearance we're still looking into the crash site."

Starling looked over at Finn who seemed about to pop out of his skin. She smiled in sympathy and went over to stand by him, a friendly hand on his shoulder. She could feel the tension in him; she felt the same even if she didn't show it. It was going to be a long two days. She counted back to when the news had first broken. It didn't seem like it had been over nine days, but it was. She could still remember the shock and grief and anger she had felt. A crushing and heart breaking loss, not just for the welfare of the planet, but for her as well. Another set of friends gone, cut down by the Cyclonian forces. She had begun to question the wisdom of not joining them, the long years fighting alone beginning to wear on her. As soon as the Cyclonian report had been heard over the radio, she had quickly rallied all the squadrons, set them on a quest to find the answers. She had personally taken over the investigation of the crash site and even after she had formally reported her findings, had patrolled the area, keeping a watch on it. Though she kept searching for answers she had begun to despair. Until today, when she had seen a familiar form standing on the prow of an old converted barge. At first she thought someone was pulling a very sick prank as she took in the blond hair, the spikes that stood up not quite right. But as she had gotten closer she could see the authenticity of his uniform and there was no mistaking the impudence of his grin, the bright spark of mischief in his azure blue eyes. Along with the happiness he had beamed out as he looked at her, mixed with relief. Looking over at him now, he still seemed happy, but he was obviously restless.

"Well, Starling dear, let's get you settled in, shall we? Finn, how about you and I going down in the bowels of this beast and get out the hammock? I don't fancy sleeping on the deck." Zella remarked, grabbing Finn by the arm and tugging him behind her. He went reluctantly with her to the hatch that led down below deck. Calling over her shoulder to Starling, Zella told her to make herself comfortable, they'd be right back. Starling wandered around the room much as Finn had on his first day, looking over the bridge and its controls, then over to the desk and perusing its contents, finally coming to a stop at the wall of shelves behind the chair. She was studying the photos arranged there when the other two returned, carrying a large roll between them.

Zella gave her a glance but said nothing. Motioning for Finn to lean the hammock against the wall next to the couch, she began to explain. "Now this hammock is nice and big and comfy, but it takes up a lot of room. We can hang it at night, take it down during the day. Finn, you'll get the couch and Starling, you can take the bedroom."

Which started a three way argument as both Finn and Starling said that they would take the hammock and Starling saying that she was not about to kick Zella out of her own bedroom and Zella replying that this was her ship and she was the captain and no arguing. To which Finn stepped in front of her with his arms folded and said the hammock was his, he'd always wanted to sleep in a hammock and that was that. Zella glared back at him until the glint showed in her right eye.

"Brat."

Finn smiled smugly. "Darn right."

"Fine, be that way, but I get the couch, then."

To which Starling insisted she'd be much more comfortable on the couch, thank you very much.

Zella flung up her hands and declared surrender. Marching into the kitchen, she announced that she was going to start dinner and nobody better stop her. Starling and Finn exchanged amused glances and then Starling followed after her. Finn thought about joining them, but the kitchen was small enough and he'd end up sitting on the refrigerator. He wandered around the room, standing at the window staring out it, or leafing through the papers on her desk, fiddling with the pencils and paint brushes, then flopped down on the couch and picked up his book, but he kept reading the same lines over again. Tossing it aside he decided to see what the two women were doing anyway. Either that or go take a nap. But then he thought it would probably look kind of odd to Starling if he just went in and made himself comfortable on somebody else's bed, so thought otherwise. Besides, he'd just toss and turn anyway. What he needed was something to do.

"Give me something to do." He stated, standing in the doorway. Zella turned around from where she was standing at the sink, washing some vegetables. Starling was sitting at the table.

"Here, chop these while I get the skillet going."

Finn took the clean vegetables and stacked them next to the cutting board. "Big chunks or itsy bitsy?"

"Medium please."

Grabbing the big bladed knife, Finn effortlessly chopped the roots into quarter inch pieces with practiced ease. Seeing that Zella had melted butter into the large skillet he looked at her questioningly and getting a nod, scraped them into the pan with the back of the knife. As she turned to grab some more stuff from the cupboard, he began to sauté the cut up pieces.

"What we making?"

"Beef pot pie, so only cook those for a few minutes, just need to soften them a bit, not cook them all the way. "

"Right."

She pulled out a round baking dish and lined it with an already made pie crust. Then she pulled out a large bowl and set it down. Opening a can of premade stew she dumped it in, then added a couple small cans of vegetables. She grinned. "Like to make fresh when I can, but it never hurts to use storebought. Those ready?"

"Just about." Replied Finn, who stirred the onions, carrots and mushrooms around a little more, making sure they were done on all sides. Grabbing hold of a pot holder, he tipped the contents into the bowl, which Zella promptly mixed together along with an egg, a spoon full of flour and some spices. She then filled the dough line baking pan, topped it with another pie crust, sealed it and cut a few holes in the top. Then she popped it in the heated oven.

Finn had already gathered the dishes and began to wash them. Zella grabbed a towel and dried , putting the clean dishes away one by one, while Finn wiped down the counter and stove. In no time the kitchen was clean and tidy. The whole time Starling had sat there, taking in the efficiency of the two. As Zella gathered up plates and utensils, Starling wondered how they were going to fit three at the tiny table. Her answer came as older woman handed everything to Finn and told him to go set places in the living room.

As Finn left, he couldn't help calling back "Yes, oh master."

"And don't you forget it either, mister." Zella called after. "And just what do you want?"

At first Starling thought she was talking to her, but realized that Zella was looking behind her at the other entrance to the kitchen. Turning she found the houndbeast sitting there, tongue lolling and its tail wagging back and forth.

"Go lay down, you big beggar, it's not time for your dinner yet. Go eat the mirrcat." Zella said firmly. Kara laid back her ears and looked down, for all the world a poor put upon creature, forced to starve.

"Oh fine, spoiled baby." Zella exclaimed, reaching up into a jar and tossing out a treat. Kara easily grabbed it, lay down with a sigh and began chewing on it with obvious relish.

Turning to Starling, Zella motioned her to the living room. Upon re-entering, they found Finn putting the finishing touches, adjusting a plate here, moving the spoon closer to the knife. Zella stopped and observed him, hands on her hips.

"That. That's the way you set the table." She remarked with mock irritation.

"Yeah, got a problem with it?" Finn challenged back.

"No, just remarking. That's how you set the table." She replied mildly, her changed tone now conveying approval.

Finn rolled his eyes.

"I saw that look."

"Oh yeah, well how about this, see this?" Finn shot back, pulling his eyes down and shooting out his tongue.

Zella gave out a huge aggrieved sigh and turned to Starling, who had been watching the two with a bemused look on her face. "See, see what I've had to put up with? I go out of my way, haul his butt to a hospital, haul his butt out of the hospital, haul it some more to the site, and now hauling it again. All the while slaving my fingers to the bone cooking and cleaning for him. And this is the way he treats me. Ingrate."

"Oh, you've been slaving? Don't listen to her, Starling. Here I am injured," he put a hand to his ribs and pasted an expression of pain on his features, "And yet I'm the one who really does all the cooking and cleaning, while she sits back with her feet up, eating bon-bons."

"Ha, how many times have I let your lazy bones lie in bed? And then night after night, while I'm trying to actually get some work done, there you are playing with the houndbeast or teasing the kitten."

"Well somebody's got to pay attention to them, you practically ignore them."

"Right, I don't spoil them at all. Kick em every chance I get, and you as well."

"That's right, you're mean."

"And you are a.."

"Brat!!" yelled Finn before she could finish. They both looked at each other with wide grins.

Starling sat down on the end of the couch, shaking her head, her own smile playing around her lips. Finn grinned back and settled against the couch himself, putting his feet up and his hands behind his head. Zella sat down and made herself comfortable as well. For a few minutes anyway. Then she was back up, telling them both to stay where they were and she was just going to put some rolls in and she'd be right back. Then she reappeared with a basket of fruit and placed it on the table only to whirl back into the kitchen. She was away for a bit longer, finally stepping out with a pitcher and three glasses, pouring each of them sweetened tang juice. She stood there, sipping her drink until they heard a bell ring and she was gone again, only to walk out with the now steaming dish of pot pie, a small basket of rolls gripped between two fingers. She received an irritated retort from Finn, who told her she should have asked for help, to which she replied that the food would have gone cold by the time he got up. This earned her another face as he scrunched up his nose at her.

They quickly dug into the food and ate in silence. Starling remarked that the dinner was very good, to which Finn couldn't help pointing out that it was all because of his vegetables. He ducked as Zella pretended to throw her spoon at him.

Starling stopped either of them from starting to clean up and said that she would do the dishes. Zella stood up and nodded, then turned to Finn and after showing him hooks in the ceiling, asked if he'd need any help setting up the hammock. Finn stood a moment with his finger in his mouth and looked at her with a dazed look on his face.

"Gee, I don't know. It looks really hard."

Zella gave him a playful swat and told him that she had faith in him, really she did. Then she followed Starling into the kitchen. Finn had the hammock up in no time and was laying in it, swinging lazily when they returned. Zella had her arms filled with sheets and blankets and pillows, and between the three of them finished getting the hammock and couch ready for the night. The three traded off using the bathroom and then it was a series of good nights.

Finn took off his boots and armor and swung himself into the hammock, where he quickly made himself comfortable in his nest. He fully expected to lay awake, his mind churning with thoughts. He glanced over at Starling who was settling into the couch. He noticed that she kept her boots on and hadn't taken off her armor. He wondered at that but decided that she liked to be ready at a moment's notice. He turned so he could gaze out the window, the stars and clouds sliding by slowly. He was beginning to feel anxious again. What if they got there too late? What if the Cyclonians had found his friends? What if they were hurt and in danger, lost in the wastelands? What if…? What if, what if, what if. Finn tried to find his center, but he just couldn't seem to find that calm eye in the middle of his hurricane.

He shifted over to his left side. He kept imagining his friends hurt, kept seeing himself discovering their bodies, knowing that it was his fault that they hadn't been rescued in time. He just knew that he would hear the triumphant news from Cyclonia that the remains of the Stormhawks would be soon released. That one was missing would be small consolation to the rest of the planet. And what would he do? So far he'd been able to stitch together some sort of plan, but there was no way he'd be able to continue on by himself. One thing he had learned from all of this was that he needed to be a part of something. He just couldn't do it alone.

Finn turned back over to his right side and sighed. The hammock was incredibly comfortable, the soft fabric molding to his body, supporting him just right. He closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep. Just one more day and they'd be there. Sleep. Relax. Breath in, breath out.

He started a little as he felt something hit his chest. It was the mirrcat. The small animal flopped over onto its back and began to purr. Finn reached out his hand and buried it into the warm fur, causing the feline to purr loudly and wriggle into a better position for Finn's hand to rub just the right spot. Hypnotized by the repetition of stroking the mirrcat, soothed by its presence, Finn drifted off to sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Hello faithful readers! Welcome to the next installment. In this chapter our three compadres are traveling from the wreckage site toward the spot that Finn crash landed. Read on...

Chapter 11

The next day went incredibly slow. Neither the clock nor the ship seemed to move. Finn tried to relax but was unable to do so. Gone was the easy camaraderie when it had just been him and Zella. It wasn't as if Starling had become a third wheel, but she continually contacted other Sky Knights for updates and news and he could no longer immerse himself into believing that this was only a dream. He found himself walking from one room to the next, going outside to hang over the prow, then back inside to look out the periscope, then into the kitchen, the bathroom, the bedroom. He would sit down on the couch, pick up the book, then drop it back down and try to find one of the others, see what they were doing.

He wasn't the only one that was affected by the frustrating waiting game. Starling passed the time gathering information, pouring over notes and lists. Zella had decided that this was the best time to completely clean out her closet and reorganize everything within it. On Finn's numerous circuits around the ship, he would stop in and stare at the many piles of clothes, shoes, scarves and other miscellaneous stuff that the grown woman collected. He would sit on the bed and watch as she tried to decide which shelf the black shoes should go on, bottom or third from top, muttering to herself if she really did need this pair that didn't want to fit with the others. Neither of them said anything, and Finn knew better than to ask to help. Zella seemed to have developed a one track mind set and he didn't want to disturb it.

The animals sensed that something was up. Skeez had decided to make himself scarce, especially as Finn, on his trips through the ship, would find the sleeping mirrcat and pick him up, holding the small animal as he paced. The mirrcat would squirm to be let down, walking off with a look of disdain as to why any reasonable being would want to do anything but nap at this time of day. Kara repeatedly brought the ball, the glove, or the skyquat squeaky toy up to Finn and drop it at his feet, the big houndbeast's mouth split into a panting grin, tail banging back and forth. Sometimes Finn would pick up the offering and toss it, other times he'd walk on by without noticing, giving a halfhearted pat on the head.

Meals were quick distractions, as none of them felt any appetite, grabbing a bite here and there.

Eventually the sun began to sink and the skies darkened.

Once more Finn crawled into the hammock, hoping the night would go faster than the day. It had to. But there was to be no sleep, his eyelids stayed open and he tried to make himself lie still, so as not to disturb Starling who was on the couch. Images ran through his brain, the same images he'd been seeing all day. His friends hurt, dead, or of not finding them at all. Of never having the burning questions answered, doomed to always wonder, always never knowing. He could easily picture himself old and grey, sweeping the same section of the planet again and again, searching for any signs of what had once been.

As silently as he could, Finn eased himself out of the hammock and across the room. Reaching the door to the outside, he quietly opened it and stepped out into the cool night air. He crossed over to the gunwale and leaned against it. As he stared out into the darkness he heard a soft mew and felt a pair of paws at his legs. Looking down he beheld the white markings of the mirrcat and picked him up, cradling the tiny beast against his chest.

"Oh, now you want to be held, huh?" Finn whispered. Finn suddenly felt his chest tighten. Even though he'd only been on this ship for a short while, he'd developed a strong attraction towards its inhabitants. He was going to miss this little furry creature, and the bigger silly creature. And he was really going to miss the woman. He'd never had this. Even though the Stormhawks were his family and he'd known some of them for years, his time here had been different. Almost normal, as if he'd suddenly been plopped down into a real family, a real life. Growing up as he did, an orphan, he hadn't realized all he had missed. He had met Aerrow when they had both been young, became the closest of friends even though they were practically opposites, had gladly followed the red-headed boy on his quest to become not only a Sky Knight, but a Sky Knight for the Stormhawks. One by one the others had joined, each one becoming a member in a very tight knit group.

As Finn held the mirrcat, he had slowly walked up to the prow of the ship. His chest was still tight and his eyes burned. Finn blinked and looked into the horizon. Tomorrow. Tomorrow they would arrive and start looking. And find…?

"They have to be there, they just have to be. Please, oh please." He implored the stars, bright points shining so very far away.

"They will be, Finn, surely they will."

Finn turned at the sound of the voice. Starling stood just behind him, leaning on her skimmer.

"Sorry, I'm sure you want to be alone, but I can't sleep either, and this boat isn't very big. Do you mind if I join you?" Starling asked, her dark green eyes sympathetic.

Finn shook his head and stepped to one side, making room for her in the sharp point of the prow. As she joined him she nodded at the mirrcat that had draped itself over one shoulder. "He's quite attached to you, isn't he?"

Finn looked down and gave the small ball of fur a gentle scratch behind its neck. "Yeah." He stated.

Both of them looked out at the night sky.

"Finn, I know, or at least, I think I do, what's going through your mind. You're worried and scared and confused. You have no idea what the future holds and that can be frightening. But listen to me." She said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, the one not currently being occupied by the mirrcat. "We will find them. If they are hurt, we will get them to aid. If they have been found and are being held captive, we'll free them. It's only a matter of time. "

Finn swallowed the lump in his throat. "And if…if we don't find them? Or if we find them…." He couldn't finish. Everything was rushing up inside him, all the fears and images and worry and questions that he had managed to keep under control. He turned away from her, pressed his lips and eyes together tightly to try and stop the building emotions that were so close to spilling over. But as her hand dropped down to wrap around his waist he couldn't help it. He felt a sob burst from him, then another. Part of him wanted to run, to not cry like a mewling baby in front of this strong, mature Sky Knight. Another wanted to turn back, bury his head into her shoulder and just cry his eyes out.

The matter was decided for him as he felt Starling's hands turn him around and hold him close. She let him sob out his feelings of anxiety and grief, his worry and heartache. Finn held on to her, the mirrcat managing to extricate itself before being squished between them.

His sobs dying down to the occasional hiccup, Finn stepped back a little and wiped the tears from his face. He glanced up at Starling with a look of mixed gratefulness and embarrassment.

"Sorry, you must think I'm just a baby, going on like that. But I am worried and scared and confused."

"No Finn, I don't think you are a baby. I'd be more worried if you were taking all this lightly." Starling turned from him a little, but she still kept an arm wrapped around him and she looked intently into his face. "Actually, I think you are handling yourself quite well. You survived injuries that could have been quite serious, you devised a plan to check out the wreckage, you came up with a theory that very well could be the answer to this mystifying mess, and you've managed to do it all without either going off into a one man crusade against the Cyclonians or going crazy, sitting in the middle of the floor, rocking."

Finn smiled at her. "Well, I have had some help. You for one, and Zella for the other. If it wasn't for the both of you, I probably would be sitting somewhere in a heap, rocking back and forth. Either on that rock I landed on or sitting in a cell after stupidly invading Cyclonia single handedly."

"Possibly. But I must tell you, Finn, I'm quite proud of you. I've seen the way you've been acting and you've kept yourself together well."

Finn looked down, frowning. "Starling, I know sometimes I can be, well, irritating and selfish and downright dumb, but that's the way I deal with things, most of the time. If I thought about them, really thought about them, I would be just a shivering heap. One thing I've learned, I can't go it alone. I need somebody around me, to steady me, to give me direction, to be my strength, to be with me. I used to think that I was strong, that I could be the hero, but…I'm not. Not by myself anyway. Not forever."

"Congratulations. You've just taken a very gigantic step. There are many people who think that the answer lies in becoming the one and only. And you certainly haven't been acting irritating and selfish and dumb in the last few days."

Finn turned and looked at Starling intently. "Yeah, I know. I suppose some of that is because of the seriousness of this whole thing, but still…You'd think I'd be even more annoying than usual since I'm so out of my element. Maybe that's it, this is so different, but I don't think so. I suppose a lot of it has to do with, with her." Finn turned and looked back, through the glass window of the bridge and into the dark recesses of the room beyond. "She's been a rock to me, Starling. An anchor that's steadied me, kept me from going crazy or running full tilt into bigger trouble. I feel, I really do, that she saved my life in more ways than just picking me off that rock and taking me to the hospital."

"Yes, so do I." Her eyes also turned toward the interior of the ship, yet her gaze was distant.

They stood together for a while, once more looking at a horizon that they couldn't see in the darkness.

"Starling?"

"Hmmm?"

Finn took a deep breath, held it and then let it out in one long stream. "I know we talked a little bit about this over dinner last night, and we went over all we're going to do tomorrow and how we're going to search and what we'll do if we find them alive, either well or hurt. But still, what if…., that is…."

"What if we find them dead, or not at all?"

"Yes. Oh, Starling, I hate to say it, but I don't know which would be worse, finding them…dead, or not finding them. Finding them, yes it's horrible and everything but, well then it's answered, but then not finding them, you keep hoping that they're alive, yet you're still searching. "

Starling said nothing, just stared out into the night.

Finn suddenly gasped. How could he be so insensitive? He could have kicked himself. "Starling? I'm sorry, sometimes I just don't think. I mean.."

"No, it's all right. If we don't find them, we keep looking. There is no question about it. You and me and every available Sky Knight squadron. They're out there Finn. The Condor just doesn't up and vanish. Your friends - our friends are resourceful and strong and brave. Aerrow will find a way to keep them together, to survive until rescue arrives, to seek out safety." She turned to Finn and smiled. Then it was her turn to take a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"And if we do find the other…. We deal with it. We grieve and we scream and we curse the very stars in the sky. We find a dark place and curl into it and then we kick at the darkness until it opens up and you go on. You have to. To do anything else would be a travesty, an insult to the memory of your friends."

She fell silent, and Finn knew she was remembering her old squadron, their faces and names and recollections of those that had been taken from her at the hands of the Raptors.

"How did you not take revenge? I don't think I could let those responsible live. I'd want to rip their throats out, stomp on them, tear them to pieces."

"You take revenge by not becoming what they are. I won't say it wasn't easy, it wasn't. There have been many times when I had wished…, but that would have been wrong, very wrong."

Finn nodded, not completely convinced. He could easily imagine the despair he would sink into if he found his friends dead, the horror and then the sorrow and then the anger, the raging fury that would build to white hot intensity. He had never really gotten angry in the battles with the Cyclonians, frustrated, irritated with himself more than anything, but never had he felt the overwhelming urge to hurt and keep hurting. But ever since he had begun to envision finding his friend's broken, bleeding bodies….NO. They were alive, they were, they were, they were. But a small dark spot within him whispered that he could easily go ballistic. He looked up to see Starling regarding him compassionately.

"Finn, I want you to know, there isn't a squadron on Atmos that wouldn't find it a privilege to have you as their member. As I would. In fact…" She turned to him, releasing her arm from around his waist. "Finn, if, IF worse comes to worst, I'd like to ask you to join with me. I've been on my own for too long myself. Probably should have taken the invitation to join up with the team a long time ago, and by the storms, when we find them, I think I will. But if we don't find them, or heavens above we find them gone, then I would consider it an honor if you became a teammate of mine."

Finn blinked. He straightened himself up and faced her. Gazing into her eyes he slowly saluted her. "Yes, Starling. I…I accept." He wanted to say more, but found he couldn't. He also found his vision swimming as new tears filled his eyes. Angrily he wiped at his eyes. "Must be that stupid cat, I think I'm allergic to it." He mumbled.

Starling chuckled and wiped at her own eyes. "Must be catching." She replied and shared a grin with him. They continued to stand and look out over the prow, but they were silent. Finally they turned and returned to hammock and couch, to doze until sunrise.


	12. Chapter 12

Not gonna say a thing about this chapter - you'll just have to find out along with Finn, Starling and Zella...

Chapter 12

Finn stood on the bridge and heard Starling say for the hundredth time that what the sonar scanner had picked up was nothing. They had searched for over three hours, moving in an outward spiral and were far from the terra he had originally landed on. He absently scratched at his side; he was down to one pain pill a day and had been able to take very deep breaths for quite some time. His shoulder and arm no longer bothered him, hadn't from the second day out of the hospital. Shaking his head he moved over to the periscope and searched the skies for Starling. Along with any indications of Cyclonians. At first he had wanted to ride with Starling, but she had said that they might need all the crystal energy they could and riding double would strain her skimmer. Also, she had pointed out, if Finn's theory was true, then there could be Talon Squadrons searching the area too. She needed him to watch the skies, while Zella kept her eyes on the sonar scanner, and Starling kept below cloud depth, investigating anything that the sonar scanner picked up that was big or metallic. Even though this area of the wastelands was more stable than most, it still had its share of open lava pits, and the resulting magnetized areas were playing havoc with the instruments. So far there had been no sign of either the Condor or Cyclonians.

Finn closed his eyes and rested his head against the scope. He could feel the faint edges of despair beginning to creep ever closer. When they had finally arrived in position, he had been so confident that they'd find something. But with every passing hour, his spirits lowered. He barely glanced over as the scanner gave another ping.

"Starling? Got another something. Indications are big and metallic. Coordinates are…" Zella hesitated, looking at the scanner to the scroll open next to her. She relayed the spot down to the Sky Knight who was out of sight below the clouds.

"Right. On my way." Starling's voice crackled over the radio.

Silence descended, filling the small room. Minutes went by with no response. Finn was once more pressed to the periscope, moving in a slow circle and scanning the horizon. Looking up hurriedly as Zella gasped, Finn saw Starling shoot up out of the clouds and come to a halt, hovering over the deck. Her eyes locked on Finn and her face was lit up with a huge grin. Finn glanced over at Zella.

Zella stared back at him. "Go, boy! I'll follow as quick as I can."

Finn was out the door and on the back of Starling's skimmer before the words were completely out. Then he was hanging on for dear life as Starling stood the skimmer on its wing and headed straight down through the clouds.

He could only stare as they broke out of the cloud layer - there before them was the Condor.

Starling circled around the ship, coming in lower with each spiral. Finn noted several things at once. One, the ship was dark. Two, the portside engine was missing its front half though nothing else looked damaged. Three, all hatches and doors were closed. And four…

He nudged Starling. "Wheels down!" he yelled.

She nodded in acknowledgement. Wheels down. Which meant the Condor had landed, not crashed.

Circling once more, she barely skimmed the surface and then rose and landed on the runway. Bringing her ride to a stop in front of the closed hanger bay doors, she waited as Finn slid off.

"Wait here," he said. "No telling what traps might be set." Finn walked carefully up to the outer control panel. He stared at it for a second, then stepped to one side and opened a concealed cover. Pressing the button, the hanger door split in half and rumbled open. He glanced at Starling. "Not sure, but Stork has been known to wire the real controls to give one heck of a shock."

Finn stepped inside as Starling rode forward. Standing just inside the doorway he looked all around the hanger. Outside of some containers and boxes, the large open room was empty.

He walked over to where Starling was waiting. "Skimmer's are gone." She pointed out.

"Yeah, all of them, even the Storkmobile." They exchanged glances. "Come with me, but be careful. I think someone's been here and tripped some of the traps. See that large crate, full of junk? That's usually hung up above, so it will fall on whoever's trying to sneak in."

"Yes, if the Cyclonians found this, they most likely searched the entire ship." Starling remarked.

"Yeah, but Stork's sneaky, they may not have triggered all of them." Finn stood below the ladder that led up to his room. He carefully made his way up the rungs; feeling for the trip wire he knew should be there. Two rungs from the top he felt the ends of a couple of wires. Finn scowled, so the searchers had figured this out, too. Finn pulled himself up and into his room. Right away he knew that somebody had been here. All though everything looked in order, Finn could tell that things were moved slightly, put back in not quite the right place. He would never have leaned his guitar at that angle. Looking behind him he saw Starling emerge and he held out a hand to her and pulled her up.

Finn turned and stepped to his storage lockers, opening one. He sighed with relief as he took out a spare crossbow. Quickly checking to make sure it was charged and loaded, he cradled it in his arms. Storms, but it felt good to have a weapon at his disposal again.

Silently they crept up to his door. Finn reached out and held his finger just above the door release. Starling nodded and they both burst out of the door, weapons ready. The hallway was deserted. Turning, Starling followed Finn as he carefully made his way to the bridge.

Once inside the room, Finn stood still and looked around. Nothing was out of place that he could see. And yet something prickled at this skin, itched just below the surface. Finn hadn't been expecting a large map with a big red 'X' and 'come get us' written on it, but there had to be something left behind. Finn circled the room and finally came to a stop by the controls. Seeing the periscopes he peered through them, careful not to move either one, hoping that maybe it pointed to a clue. But if it did, he couldn't see one. He turned to Starling who was looking around, careful not to touch anything.

"What do you think?"

She looked at him and then off into the distance, her face contemplative. "I'll tell you what I've observed. The Condor's damaged and unable to fly, but not so damaged that Stork wasn't able to land it. Of course I doubt anyone but Stork could have landed it. The Condor is undamaged anywhere else except that engine; there is no sign of any struggle inside the ship, though we haven't checked out every room. Their skimmers are gone, they're gone and they had to have flown out of here, not driven, no helpful tracks leading away. Of course any helpful tracks would have just led any Cyclonians to them, so that's a blessing in disguise. The tripped traps show that someone must have either set them off, or discovered them and unarmed them. So what does that mean?"

Crossing her arms, Starling hesitated, deep in thought.

"The way I figure it, the Condor was attacked. The rest of them returned and they managed to land in the wasteland. For some reason they abandoned the Condor and set off. But why? They couldn't repair the Condor, but would they have left it? So what would have caused them to depart, on skimmers, into the wasteland? If we can figure that out, we might just be able to find where they've gone. "

Finn leaned against the steering column and frowned.

Ever since they had burst through the clouds and he had seen the Condor, a bubble was beginning to build within Finn. He was starting to recognize the symptom as being a hunch that lurked just below his conscious self. He let his eyes wander as his thoughts tried to come up with an answer to Starling's questions. He had an idea, just an inkling, but wasn't quite sure enough to run it by Starling.

He sighed and looked up to see Starling patiently contemplating him. "Anything? You know this ship better than I." she remarked.

Finn shook his head. "Guess we need to check out the rest of the ship." He said and began to walk to the first door on the right. Just as he reached it he stopped. He backed up and then looked over to his left. His face began to lift into a slow smile.

"What Finn, what is it?"

"The pictures. They're switched. See? My picture's over here, and the picture of the ship is now on that side."

Starling looked at where he was indicating. "We already are fairly sure the ship was searched, perhaps someone was careless." But she gazed at him intently.

"Mmmm, maybe." Finn walked up to his picture, the one of him that looked so handsome, and removed it off the wall. Turning it around he found a folded piece of paper taped to the back. Finn glanced toward Starling and grinned, he had hung the picture to begin with, he knew that there had been nothing on the back of it.

Quickly he sat it down on the round table and helped Starling peel the tape off gently, careful not to tear it, even though his entire body wanted to rip it off. Unfolding it he found it to be a map of the area. Finn blinked. There was trail of red 'x's' and the words 'go this way' written on it.

Finn broke into a wide smile. "Piper's handwriting, nobody writes as neat as she does. And see how she makes her x's, crossed exactly at the midpoint. Only she would be that exact."

Starling straightened and matched his grin. "Then let's go."

Rather than risk any possible booby traps that might not have been tripped, they made their way back to the hanger the way they had come in. Finn had just settled behind Starling when the radio gave a small chirp. Starling thumbed the switch and Zella's voice came through.

"Starling, Finn, do you read? Come in!"

Finn's eyes widened. Her voice sounded worried, almost scared.

"We're here Zella, what is it?" Starling responded.

"Finally! We've got company and it's not someone you want to meet. Looks like at least three Talon Squadrons and a battle cruiser."

"Zella, get out of there, now!" Finn yelled.

"Hon, by the time they get here, I'd be a whole ten feet away. You lay low, don't worry about me. I'll give them some yarn about being on my way to Terra Saharr for the annual bazaar and art emporium. And for the love of little green terras, don't call me, I'll call you."

Finn closed his eyes and groaned. First his friends and now her. He could feel a cold hand grab his chest and squeeze. If anything happened to her, to the stupid big houndbeast and that silly furball of a mirrcat, he'd, he'd scream. And not like a girl either. He really would go on a rampage. He opened his eyes as Starling gunned her skimmer forward, out of the hanger.

"Quick, Finn, close the hanger door."

Finn leaped off the bike and thumbed the button, fortunately remembering to use the concealed one. He wasn't sure if the shock trap had been disabled, but he wasn't going to take any chances. He'd seen the smoke that had risen from Junko the one time the Wallop had tried it.

Returning to the skimmer, he settled on it just in time as Starling flew off and then under the Condor, concealing them below the forward left wheel opening. She hovered there; her engines in stealth mode, the small thrumming hardly noticeable even to their ears. Finn craned his neck up, even though he could see nothing between the big belly of the Condor and the huge engines, everything was blocked out except narrow strips in front and to each side. He silently prayed to whatever was up there that Zella was ok. He kept imagining three bodies falling down through the clouds. Surely she'd have a chute on, but the other two…

Finn balled his hands into fists. It was all he could do not to ask Starling to rush out of there, blast up through the clouds and take on the Cyclonians. She was a Sky Knight after all, and he had his crossbow. He'd taken out an entire battleship with one shot once. He started to lean forward when he felt her stiffen and his ears caught what hers had. Skimmer engines.

They sat silently as three Switchblades swooped into view. They followed them more by sound than sight as the Talon's circled the Condor. Once, then twice the Cyclonians made their sweep, then tore back up into the clouds.

Finn sagged a little. They waited there for long moments.

"Shouldn't we have heard something by now? Why hasn't she called in?" Finn asked worriedly.

Starling turned a little in her seat. "Finn…Don't worry, Zella will be ok. She can handle herself. And she's not going to put us into any jeopardy. I think we need to go, start looking for the Stormhawks. They should be our priority."

Finn swallowed. Of course she was right. He shook his head a little. Was he more worried about the woman than his friends because she seemed so defenseless? He knew she was smart, but could she really convince an entire crew of Cyclonians that she just happened to be in the area? Finn grimaced as Starling dropped down a little and soared out from under the Condor. Trying to set his concern for Zella aside, Finn began to search the passing terrain for any signs of his friends.

Lava pits, smoking craters, an occasional rocky spire went by as they followed the route on the map. If the marked x's were right, they should just about be there. But so far nothing. Finn had been so sure, absolutely certain that he would find his friends safe. Maybe not whole, if his theory was right, but safe.

On and on they rode, each one searching left and right, high and low.


	13. Chapter 13

Oh my! The Condor has been found, but dark and deserted. Follow along with Finn and Starling as they search for further clues within the wasteland for their missing freinds...

Chapter 13

Starling was going slow, but even still he almost missed it. He blinked and turned his head back. Had he really seen it?

"Starling, go back. I thought I saw…something."

Turning her skimmer in a tight arc, she quickly brought them around. Finn searched intently for what he thought he had seen. For a moment he began to think he had seen things, his mind or eyes playing a trick on him.

"There!" he shouted, his finger pointing. "Do you see it, the way those rocks are laid out? It looks like.."

"An arrow!" Starling yelled enthusiastically. She moved over to where the boulders where. On closer inspection they could see where a few of them had been rolled just enough to make somewhat of a straight line, others nudged closer to make the point of the arrow. The rocks were large, too large for a normal man to move. But no problem for a Wallop.

Finn grabbed Starling about the waist in a burst of happiness. Then he sobered as he realized that things were falling into place if his hunch was correct. Hopefully they weren't too late, that what he felt must have happened wasn't too serious.

They continued on, spotting more of the markers now that they knew what to look for. A large dark wall was getting closer.

"Terra base, must be." Starling stated. She gunned the skimmer a little, all the markers had pointed that way.

Approaching the cliff walls, they searched closely. Starling began to circle the wide base. They had risen about halfway up when a blue streak of energy whipped past them. Immediately Starling went into a dive, evading any more shots.

"No go back, I'm pretty sure that was a turkey burp!" Finn screamed.

Just as quickly Starling brought her ride to a halt, swiveled it back around and hovered there. As they both scanned the cliffs, another blue streak soared into the sky, this time arcing up and out, away from them, but still near enough that they could see where it had come from.

Starling grabbed her looking glass and peered through it. Finn wished he'd thought to bring one. Then he winced. He had forgotten about his crossbow and its lenses. Reaching behind him, Finn pulled it off his back and brought the weapon up. Gazing through the sights he began to search. Up, left, down, right, then over a bit. Again and again he scanned methodically.

Instinctively he tracked the blue streak of yet another turkey burp as it streamed across the sky. Reversing the line of sight he followed the trail to…

Junko's big smiling face.

Finn let out a whoop and rapidly pointed out the waving figure to Starling. Within seconds they were roaring through the sky. He watched as Junko raced up the ledge he had been on, only to disappear behind what looked to be sheer rocks. Starling cut her engine and turned her skimmer with practiced ease, retracting her wings at just the right moment to land on the ledge. As they followed the retreating figure, they could see the small fissure that opened up, positioned in such a way that one almost had to be on the ledge to see it.

They entered the cave and stopped. Both peered down the seemingly deserted dark passageway. Turning off the engine and setting the skimmer on its kickstand, Starling dismounted with Finn right behind her. They had taken just a couple of steps when three figures burst around the far turn.

Finn had time only to shout out Junko's name as he was enveloped into a bone cracking hug.

"Finn, Finn, Finn, Finn! You're alive, you're here, you're ok, you made it!" Junko yelled gleefully.

"Yes I'm here you big oaf, put me down before you break me in half!" Finn yelled, his face smiling like a madman.

Junko gently lowered his best friend in the whole world to the floor. Finn only had a moment to get his bearings when he was once more grabbed, this time by a small, petite female. Feeling a hand patting his back, he looked over Piper's shoulder to see Stork's smiling face.

Released once more, he looked into Piper's tawny eyes that were glowing with happiness . "Oh, Finn, we hoped you'd find us. I pretty much knew you'd notice the picture moved, and with Junko's help left clues along the way. We knew it was just a matter of time." Her face turned more serious. "But why so long? We expected you days ago. According to my calculations…"

Finn held a hand in front of him, trying to stop Piper from going into a long winded explanation. "Easy Piper, things happened that I couldn't control, okay? After all, I just found the Condor this morning. You guys have no idea what's been going on out there. First of all.."

"Where's Aerrow?" Starling asked.

Finn's mouth snapped shut. In all the excitement he hadn't realized that his red-headed friend hadn't joined them. He suddenly noticed that the three faces in front of them had become very sober. At the same time the bubble inside him broke. He had been right.

"Aerrow was hurt. He's back in the cave recuperating. Radarr's with him, won't leave his side." Piper said, her face grave.

"How bad?" Starling asked, beginning to walk into the cavern.

"Bad enough." Junko sadly muttered.

"Now Junko, Aerrow will be fine, he just needs time to heal, a stay in a medical facility. He'll be back up and around in no time." Piper responded optimistically.

Stork, his left eye twitching, stepped closer to Finn. "Death's door. It's just a matter of time. If his injuries don't kill him, the millions of creepy crawlies in this horror chamber will invade his weakened system and he will quickly succumb to a variety of illnesses. I could have held the bugs at bay, but they wouldn't let me bring any of my disinfectants. I'm already raw from scratching at the contaminated areas. We're all doomed, I'm sure."

Finn shook his head, sure the truth lay somewhere between Piper's cheerfulness and Stork's gloom. He and Starling followed the group through the narrow passageway until they rounded a corner and found a small oval area, lit by a few glow crystals. Along one side sat Aerrow, a bandage around his head, his left leg kept straight by a splint made from branches.

Finn grinned back as Aerrow smiled widely. Piper ran forward as the red-headed Sky Knight tried to rise.

"Aerrow, sit! You'll hurt yourself more!"

"Easy Piper, I'll be okay." Aerrow said calmly as he levered himself upright. He looked over at where his wingman was standing. "Finn…"

"Hey buddy." replied Finn, walking over to his leader and standing in front of him. They regarded each other for a long moment. Suddenly Aerrow dropped Piper's staff that he was using as a crutch and grabbed Finn's shoulders, pulling him close. Finn wrapped his arms around his best friend and held tight. He could feel the tears of relief and happiness prickling at the back of his eyelids.

Just as quickly they let each other go, though Finn kept his hold on Aerrow, supporting his freind's swaying body. Both of them exchanged slightly sheepish looks, each one blinking rapidly to clear any remaining embarrassing moisture from their eyes.

Starling stepped forward. "While you two get reacquainted, I'll go let the rest of the world know where you are." She said, turning around and striding back to her skimmer.

Finn helped seat Aerrow back onto the mat of dried grass and then folded his legs and sat next to Aerrow; Junko at his side, Stork standing nearby and Piper sitting on the other side of Aerrow. After running around the group in delirious circles, Radarr had climbed back up on Aerrow's left shoulder and was chattering happily, reaching out to pat Finn's shoulder with one paw.

Even though Finn was bursting with questions, and he could see the other's looking at him, they managed to wait until Starling walked back and crouched down with them.

"Okay, I've alerted the Screaming Queen's to our position, they in turn will let the other's know. It will be just a matter of a few hours before help arrives." She turned toward Aerrow, "I've let them know we need a medical transport, the nearest one is about six hours from here. However." She continued, holding up her hand. "There are Cyclonians in the area, and we don't want to alert them to where you are, that you've been found. Until reinforcements arrive, we stay here. Besides, I don't see your vehicles anywhere around?"

"We had to abandon them…"

"We hid them…"

"They were almost out of fuel…"

"Aerrow's ride was trashed…"

"Whoa, whoa, one at a time, please." Starling broke through the voices.

"Good, now, what happened? Aerrow, you first." She said as she saw four mouths begin to open.

Starling and Finn sat and listened as one at a time the four teammates told the story, switching back and forth as each one told his or her part of the tale. As Finn listened he nodded. He had been right, there would have been only one reason to leave the Condor. Because they had something more important to protect.

Right after Finn had been knocked off his skimmer (which everyone had profusely apologized for not catching him), two more Talon squadrons had raced out of the sky. Aerrow had darted all over trying to gain an advantage. As they had fought, Stork's panicked voice had come over the radio that the Condor was being attacked, that they were in grave danger of losing the ship, that he was trying his best but they'd better get back and now, doom was upon them.

"We didn't want to leave you, Finn. You know that don't you?"Aerrow had asked Finn, his green eyes searching Finn's blue ones. "We hoped that we could get away, find you a little later. Unfortunately…"

Unfortunately they had arrived at the Condor to find Stork was not overstating the facts in his usually panicked way. The ship was surrounded by Talons flying some new type of vehicle. It was a two man skimmer, and the second Talon was wielding a large energy cannon. The blasts were striking the Condor from all angles. Once again the three remaining teammates engaged the enemy. Aerrow had ordered Junko to get back to the ship, start blasting back at them with the Condor's own energy cannons.

Piper had taken up the narrative at that point, telling them that if she hadn't ignored Aerrow's directive to go as well, she wouldn't have been able to grab him out of the sky when his skimmer had been practically disintegrated by a direct hit. By luck and a little skill, she had found a way back to the Condor, Aerrow's unconscious body draped across the front of her heliscooter, Radarr hanging on tight.

It was Stork who spoke next, telling them how he had practically turned the big ship upside down trying to evade the Cyclonians. Just as he had managed to get a little distance between them and their pursuers, a combined shot from three of the Talon's new skimmers had hit the Condor's left engine. Stork's voice was full of sorrow as he described how his beloved had split in two, the resulting explosion tearing off the front half of the engine. Piper and Junko patted his shoulder in consolation.

Junko described the wild, spinning ride down to the surface, smoke pouring out of the ship. They were sure they were going to go splat but somehow good 'ol Stork had pulled the great big ship up, deploy the wheels and land. Though his head still had a bump on it from where he had first hit the ceiling and then the floor.

"What about the Cyclonians?" Starling asked at that point.

Piper told how they had circled around, but between Junko blasting at them and Stork firing the other cannon they had turned and left. She had a feeling they were going back for larger reinforcements. Knowing they wouldn't be able to fight off anything bigger than a regular switchblade for long, especially with their Sky Knight out of commission, they had decided the best thing to do was take off into the wasteland, find a place to hole up, maybe a nearby terra. Stork, after being reassured for the thousandth time that yes, of course they'd be back, had armed the Condor left and right with any and every available booby trap, snares, death sprays and electrical shocks he could quickly find. Though most of them he'd already had in place, it was just a matter of switching them on.

The rest of them had run around the ship gathering supplies. Piper had hastily consulted a map of the area, noted the closest location that seemed to be the safest, took the time to leave a clue, loaded up and took off.

Finn grinned at her and told her that her clue was perfect. "But," he asked, "what if I hadn't found the Condor?" Piper had looked at him for a minute and then answered that it wasn't in her plan for him not to. Finn smiled but decided not to make a comment.

Continuing the tale, they told how they had moved in the direction that was on the clue map, but had found the area too unstable. By that time both Junko's and Piper's vehicles were almost out of energy. Both Piper and Junko looked a little embarrassed as they admitted that neither one of them had thought to recharge before they left. Their immediate goal had been to get away fast. They had finally left the two rides hidden behind some large rocks that Junko had moved in place. They had then climbed onto the Storkmobile and had continued to search for a place to hide.

They had stayed for a couple of days in a small cave on the side of a small spire, but had found this place soon after. Between Piper, Stork, Junko and Radarr's help, they had made the place as comfy as it could be and had waited. They had used the last remaining power in the Storkmobile to make the markers, hoping that they would be spotted by friends. Then they had hidden out, hoping for rescue, listening as the only skimmers they heard were Cyclonian. Piper, Stork and Junko had taken turns manning the ledge, keeping an eye out.

Aerrow spoke again, looking from one to the other as he did so. "By the time I woke up, we were here. I had a splitting headache and my leg was splinted." Piper smiled modestly. "Since my teammates had taken things into hand so well, I've done nothing but sit on my butt."

Junko roared with laughter. Piper gave Aerrow a look she usually reserved for the sharpshooter.

"Sit on your butt, hah! We've had to practically tie you down. With your leg broken and the obvious concussion you had, the last thing you need to be doing is getting up. Yes, Aerrow, I know you were worried about us and Finn, but there was no way we were going to let you go trudging through the wasteland."

Aerrow scowled at her, but his eyes were smiling. "I know, but you know how hard it is for me to do nothing."

He turned to Finn. "So, what's your story?"

Finn opened his mouth and nothing came out. Suddenly his broken rib and dislocated shoulder no longer seemed important. They were healed or nearly so. And the worry and anguish and concern and despair he had felt were replaced. He had found his friends. They were all right, every one of them. Sure Aerrow was hurt, but nothing a couple of days in the hospital wouldn't help: Set the leg, give him a few good meals, make sure his brain wasn't rattled and they'd be back in business. Fix the Condor, why Aerrow could recuperate while that happened, it's not like they could go anywhere.

Finn grinned and shrugged. "Just hanging out, taking it easy, what do you think? Been wandering around the Atmos in an old travel barge…." Finn suddenly gasped. Zella!! All his friends were not okay. He turned to Starling.

"Starling, we have to go! We haven't heard anything from Zella, what if she's hurt, what if they didn't believe her, what if she was captured, is being taken back to Cyclonia right this very minute…" His voice faded as he ran to where her skimmer was parked. He hadn't noticed the puzzled looks his friends exchanged.

Finn waited impatiently for Starling to catch up. He stared at her with growing frustration as she approached, why was she moving so slow? His mind churned with imagined horrors. How could he have forgotten? In all the excitement of finding his teammates, he had stopped thinking of the woman that had helped him, sheltered him, given him support and a place to stay and meals and friendship. No, she had given him more than friendship. She had given him…

Something he hadn't even known he was missing, let alone wanted. The type of support one received from a…parent. Authoritative yes, but also forgiving. He had found himself leaning on her for more than he had ever done with his friends, and she had responded. Not that he didn't get that from his friends, but this had been different. It had been extremely comforting. As if as long as she had been there, everything would turn out okay. As if he was important to her, something to be protected and cherished. He had felt that when they had spent the first week together. The feeling of belonging.

Finn looked up as Starling stood next to him, her face staring into his, her expression somehow…sad.

"Come on we have to go! Hurry! I hope we're not too late. You haven't heard anything have you? She said she'd call but she hasn't and obviously something's happened and if we can just get there…"

"Finn, listen to me." Starling said softly, her hand on his arm. "I don't think you're going to find her."

Finn gaped at her. "Why, what do you know, do you think they…they shot her down?"

"No, Finn, I don't think they shot her down." She looked away for a long minute. "I think, I think she was helping us Finn. But I don't think she was who you thought she was."

"What do you mean? I don't understand."

Starling hesitated for a very long time and then walked out toward the ledge. Finn thought of turning on her ride and taking off himself, but he seriously doubted he would be able to maneuver away from the cliff wall and would probably end up in a heap at the surface, suffering from more than just a broken rib and hurt shoulder.

Sighing with frustration and barely reined in anger, he swung off the skimmer and stalked over to where Starling was standing, her back against the cliff wall, her arms folded and her eyes on the far horizon.

"Okay, what is it?" He demanded. She knew something and he was going to find out.

Starling continued to look off into the distance. "They're here." She announced.

Finn looked where she was gazing and saw a trio of skimmers approaching. Way off in the distance were more vehicles, larger ones. As he watched he heard Starling's radio crackle to life and a female voice announced that the Screaming Queens were on their way, and a contingent of emergency vehicles behind them.

Starling walked back to her skimmer and replied to the incoming group, leaving him standing, his mind once more filled with unanswered questions.


	14. Chapter 14

They've been found!! Alive and well, though not unhurt. But just as questions are answered than more questions arise...

Chapter 14

Everything seemed to happen at once. Skimmers and emergency vehicles were everywhere; Sky Knight squadrons were arriving from all directions. Aerrow was swallowed up inside a medical ship, the rest of the teammates right beside him. Then it was off to the nearest terra with a hospital. In all the confusion Finn lost track of Starling and when he asked the nearest official, he had been told that she had taken off. He tried to get into the room that Aerrow was in, but was shoved aside by a steady procession of nurses, doctors, orderlies, the captain of the ship, the sudden arrival of this official and that official.

Taking refuge with his friends in a small suite of rooms that had been given them, he remained there and slowly went insane. Bad enough that he couldn't visit his best friend, along with the incredibly frustrating need to have answers about Zella and her stupid animals, but if he even put a toe outside the rooms he was bombarded by news anchors wanting to pepper him with questions. He didn't want to give answers, he wanted them.

He had tried to tell his frustrations to the others, but got blank stares. Of course they understood his worry about the woman that helped him, but they just didn't seem to understand the depth his feelings went for her. They kept telling him that they would look for her as soon as the Condor and their leader were airborne. Piper had pointed out rationally that Starling was probably out there right now, searching. Finn had frowned and mumbled how he wanted to be out there, which had gotten shocked looks. Didn't he want to make sure Aerrow was okay? Finn had then pointed out just as rationally that Aerrow was safe now, but the woman might not be. Junko had patted his shoulder and told him knew how Finn felt, but there wasn't anything they could do. Finn had thrown his hands up in the air and had found a corner to sulk in.

The only one he thought might understand how he felt was Aerrow and the red-head was kept out of bounds. The doctors had to re-break his leg to set it correctly and had announced that his concussion had been a severe one and that he was to be kept quiet, with as little disturbance as possible. Every time Finn tried to sneak in, he was caught and marched back to the rooms. The last time he had done it, he had been hauled up to see the captain and told he would be locked up if he tried it again. When Finn had told him that it was his leader in there and he had a right to see him, the captain had scowled but said softly that he understood, but his friend was hurt and needed to heal.

By that afternoon they had reached the terra and then it was organized chaos as Aerrow was transferred to the main hospital. The news had reached every corner of Atmos that the missing squadron had been found, alive and well, except for the heroic Sky Knight, who was grievously injured, but the doctors felt his prognosis was good. As they had landed the sky was full of skimmers, air trucks, yachts, family transports and every conceivable barge.

Finn had scanned the sky for one in particular, but had been whisked inside before he could spot anything that looked familiar. Once more they were shown to a suite of rooms, a veritable buffet of food was brought in and an army of servants descended upon them offering anything from massages and foot rubs to dry-cleaning their uniforms and giving them haircuts.

Just as the last servant was shooed out the door and the four teammates took a breath (Radarr the only one allowed to stay with Aerrow, since he had bitten two of the original medical unit that had tried to separate him from his beloved master), than a contingent of officials barged in. The four spent the next three hours being grilled over their recent experiences.

Finn only told the bare necessities of his experience, giving Starling much of the credit for finding the missing Storm Hawks. For some strange reason he didn't feel the need to brag. His freinds gave him odd looks, but didn't pry.

Finally the room emptied out and it was just the four of them. They collapsed on the soft furniture and remained silent, their senses overloaded with the rapid succession of events in the last few hours.

Only one seemed not to relax as he sat there, staring off into an unseen distance.

...

It had been two days since they had arrived. Finn had by then memorized every hallway, knew exactly where the best vending machines were at and which nurses would let him use the therapeutic baths. He had also found the best retreat, a small balcony on the third floor, tucked away from everything and everyone. He found himself spending hours sitting in the chair he'd dragged outside, staring out at the view. He could see the hordes of assorted flying machines that still hovered over the terra, each one trying to get a glimpse of the saved squadron. He pretty much figured that each occupant had been interviewed by every news channel, each one saying how Atmos was now saved and that they had known all along that the young warriors were safe and that those Cyclonians were liars, every one of them. Of the Cyclonians, not a word had been heard. He and his roommates had watched the recent spate of broadcasts of varous serious heads, well not so serious now, talking about how there would be a full tribunal, with the results posted publicly in which Cyclonia would be called to answer for their actions. They four had laughed incredibly at that, since when did Cyclonia answer for anything? They had also shown an updated biography of the teammates, the most time spent on Aerrow of course, and then the rest. Finn had only sighed when they practically skipped over him.

He had finally gotten in to see Aerrow, they all had, even though the nurses strictly enforced the rule to allow only one at a time. Finn had desperately wanted to talk to Aerrow, but he still couldn't find himself talking about his past actions. They had talked about the battle, about each other's injuries, commiserated together on how Aerrow would have to stay bedridden at least another week, agreed that both were bored to death, talked about sports and the cute night nurse. Everything except where and what and how that may have pertained to Finn.

Finn recalled how his friend had looked at him, his green eyes both curious and concerned.

"Finn, buddy, are you ever going to tell us what you were up to? Everybody wants to know and you're not saying a word. That's not like you, pal. Usually it's the other way around, getting you not to say anything." Aerrow had said, his tone cajoling.

Finn had leaned toward him, but then glanced at the hovering nurse. It seemed like there was always somebody in the room, one of the nurses, the doctor, a technician, an orderly, one of the cleaning staff. Finn wondered how Aerrow was supposed to get any rest. Storms, his friends made less fuss.

"Okay Finn, I understand, you'll tell me when you're ready." Aerrow had reached out a hand and Finn grasped it immediately. "I'm not going anywhere real soon, as you know." Aerrow continued, giving the nurse a fierce scowl which she ignored. "But don't wait too long. I know you pal, whatever this is, it's starting to eat you up."

Finn had looked away, his face miserable. But he still didn't say anything. And Aerrow was right, it was beginning to eat him up. Each day, each hour he was here he kept hoping for some word from Starling; he would sit on the balcony and study every ship that even remotely resembled a barge. And yes, he knew his friends were becoming concerned about him. Piper, Junko and even Stork had corralled him at one point and tried to get him to talk, but he had given a flippant answer, a half grin or a simple shrug.

He didn't know why he wasn't saying anything. He was deeply aware himself that it wasn't like him. Normally he'd be giving every detail, telling them how he'd done this, or done that, magnifying his role in things. But somehow his time with the woman with the grayish-redbrown hair and the multicolored eyes was something he couldn't seem to share. Even now it was beginning to feel almost as if it was a dream. Had he really known her? Was there really a big houndbeast, or a small mirrcat? Because if it really was a dream, then the fact that he may never see them again, hear her joking remarks, or have her tell him he was a brat would be ok. The alternative was worse. If it wasn't a dream, then where were they? Why had he heard nothing? Were they hurt? Had she left him, gone back to her life, forgotten him as just something that had interrupted her routine and was better done away with?

He wasn't sure what he wanted to find. What was better, the wrong answer or no answer? He felt much as he had when searching for his teammates, torn in two. He was extremely happy that his five friends were safe, but he just couldn't seem to find a sense of satisfaction. They had been his friends, his family for years, one for practically forever. He had known Zella for a little over two weeks. Yet he cared for her as if she'd always been there.

Finn grimaced, annoyed with himself and his circling thoughts and threw the core of the skyfruit he'd been eating over the balcony railing. He watched as it landed, bouncing a little. Maybe he shouldn't have done it but it had felt good. He glanced over at the skyport, where the air had been cleared for the arrival of the Condor. During the past two days salvage crews, headed by Tritonn, had lifted the ship off the surface and were bringing it here. Stork had announced, ordered actually and imperiously at that, that no one but he and Junko were to do any repairs. The remains of the engine had already been delivered and the two of them were pouring over it.

Sighing he leaned against the balcony and looked out. He thought about stealing a skimmer and go rushing out there, but he had no idea even where to look. But he also didn't want to leave his friends, not after finding them and rescuing them. Finn wished he could come across another cloning crystal, never had he felt the need to be in more places at once. Perhaps he should just go back to the rooms, lay down, try and nap. But then Piper would probably be there and she would try to talk to him, get him to explain why he was being the way he was, why he wouldn't tell them what he'd been doing the two weeks they'd been missing, that she was worried about him, they all were, what was wrong with him, he'd never acted like this before.

Finn groaned and bent over, resting his head on his arm. He wished he could tell them. But he himself didn't know how to say it. That he'd found someone that was the closest thing to a mother he'd ever known? That he'd seriously considered staying with her, living his life as some kind of surrogate son? That for a brief time he'd just been a normal teen? They might understand about the mother thing, being orphans themselves, but the rest of it? They'd look at him as if he was crazy.

He wondered if Stork would allow him to use the trance helmet. Maybe he should ask Piper to hypnotize him. Maybe he should shoot himself with a paralyzer stone. Maybe he should throw himself off the balcony.

"Finn?"

He stiffened. It was a female voice, an older voice, a familiar voice. He whipped around.


	15. Chapter 15

Will questions be answered? And if so, what will the answer be?

Chapter 15

Starling gazed at him, her expression neutral, yet compassionate. Finn stared back at her, his face wary. He watched as she stepped closer, coming to stand next to him. She leaned against the balcony and looked out.

"The Condor will be here soon."

Finn turned around and looked in the same direction. "Yeah."

They stood for some time in silence. Every second that went by Finn could feel his stomach tightening.

"Starling, please tell me. I know you found out what happened. Good or bad, please, I need to know."

She turned to him and smiled. He took comfort from that smile, it seemed to be reassuring.

"As far as I know she's safe, they're all safe. I believe she's settled into a small terra, has given up the gypsy life."

"As far as you know? I don't understand, didn't you find her?"

"Not exactly."

Finn scowled. He turned to the maddening Sky Knight. "Starling, tell me!!"

"I wasn't sure, not at first. When I saw the picture of her as a young girl, standing with her father I remembered something I had heard long ago. It wasn't until I did some investigating that I found out who she was."

Starling rested her arm around Finn's shoulders and looked directly at him.

"She was a Cyclonian spy, Finn. She worked for the other side."

Finn gaped at her, hearing the words, but not grasping the meaning. Not wanting to grasp the meaning.

"What! No way, she said the Cyclonians had taken her family, that she was the only survivor. She told me that she'd never heard from them again. If she was a Cyclonian spy, why did she help me, help us? Starling, that doesn't make sense!"

Starling nodded. "I know. But listen to me. What she had told you about her family was true, up to a point. Her father's business was taking over by Cyclonia, they were taken away. But she went with them. She was trained as a Cyclonian. They exploited her artistic abilities, gave her a ship, sent her out into Atmos to gather information. Who would suspect a middle aged woman artist, flying a second hand barge with nothing but a couple of animals for company? My informants reported a small rumor of such, but we'd never found any evidence of it."

"Not until I saw that picture. I recognized her father. He had been an influential man and his disappearance was hard felt, along with the loss of his heavy metal mines. We had heard that all the family had been killed."

"But Starling, she helped us!" Finn pleaded. She was wrong, she had to be. Maybe there were two women out there, two traveling artists with pets, and Zella just happened to be innocent. And maybe the moon really was made of cheese.

"Yes, she did. Why, we may never know. She was not on that terra by accident, Finn. She had been sent to find you. Whether her orders were to bring you in or pretend to help in order to find the others I don't know. But somehow she didn't do what they asked. It's a tricky thing for operatives that have been out in the field for long periods of time. One begins to question the logic of things. I've seen it myself when bringing in an agent that's spent months, even years inside Cyclonia. Nothing is ever black and white, Finn. We want to think that Cyclonia is an evil, wicked place and it is, protected by a cruel military, over seen by even crueler rulers, Master Cyclonis right at the top, spinning her webs. But there is another side; there are people that live their daily lives believing we're the evil ones."

Finn snorted disbelievingly. One just had to look at Cyclonia to know it wasn't very hospitable. Who'd think that the rest of the world could be worse? But then, if they'd never known anything else, if the only thing they'd ever heard was Cyclonian propaganda. He recalled the talon academy that Aerrow and Piper had infiltrated, remembered his own reaction at the thought that they had a roller coaster.

"So you think she was no longer on their side?"

"I think she was beginning to question the logic of it, yes. I'm still checking on things, but I believe they held her family hostage, gave her an incentive to do as she should."

Finn growled deep in his throat. He could readily imagine the incentive. Do this or your family dies.

"Like I said Finn, we may never know why she helped. Maybe it was her way of getting back at them, her very own revolution. Maybe she was growing tired of the charade she had to play every day and wanted a way out, even if it was dangerous to her. Maybe…"

"Maybe she found a reason to help, someone she found she liked too much to hurt. Finn, I saw the way you two interacted. The feelings she had for you were real. She cared for you very much."

Finn looked away, his throat suddenly tight. He felt Starling's arm press him closer to her.

"We talked a little, that first day. I had asked her how she had managed to put up with such a hyperactive teen. She had told me that you were the perfect young man, that you were courteous and helpful, that you had kept her company. That you and she talked as if you had been friends for life. That she had met somebody that thought like she did, laughed at the same things. Finn, I think she found you to be very precious and she decided not to cause you any harm, including your friends."

Finn sniffed, his face still turned away.

"But, but you said she wasn't harmed right? That…that she's ok?"

"Yes. I can assure you of that. Again I don't know what she told the Cyclonians that showed up when we found the Condor. She may not have been telling the truth about how many there were. What I do know is that about three days afterwards my inside informants sent word that a woman answering her description had sailed into Cyclonia. She stayed at the palace for a few hours and then sailed away. She headed to a far terra still in Cyclonian territory and took up residence."

Starling squeezed Finn about the shoulders. "Finn, look at me. Don't be shy, I know you're hurt. I know you wanted better news. But she's safe, the animals are safe, you're friends are safe and you are safe. The Condor is on its way back and will soon be airworthy again, well as much as it can be. Aerrow is on the mend and will be just as good as new, and probably a bit wiser as well. I know it's not the happy ending you wanted, but sometimes the story goes its own way. I understand, believe me."

Finn looked at her, the unshed tears standing in his eyes. "I wanted them to meet, I wanted to be able to see her again, to maybe stay for an hour or two, you know. I guess I just wanted her to always be there. For me."

The tears began to spill. "I guess Piper's right. I am childish and selfish and think only of myself."

Starling held him to her. "Oh hush. You didn't break out of that hospital because you were sick of the food. You didn't search for your friends because you were bored and had nothing better to do. Finn, they're alive because of you. You figured out the whys, you plugged up the holes. If it wasn't for you, they'd either be still sitting in that cave or found by the Cyclonians. No matter what Piper and Junko and Stork and especially Aerrow might say about it, they wouldn't have lasted much longer. They would have had to leave that cave and would have been discovered and not by us either. So you just hush."

"The young man I've observed these past few days has been anything but childish and selfish. You've handled yourself exceedingly well, believing a truth some of us were beginning to question. And along the way you found someone who, even if it was for a little while, made a difference in your life. Don't despair. Cherish it."

Finn nodded into her shoulder, not trusting himself to speak. He understood what she was saying. Life was precious, friends even more so. Don't take things for granted, cause things can change at the drop of a hat. One minute you're flying high in the bright blue sky, the next you're laying on a terra, ribs broken and alone. Aerrow wasn't the only one who was going to come out of this a little wiser. Finn felt like he'd aged years in the last three weeks.

He raised his head up and stepped back. Giving the purple haired young woman a shaky smile he wiped at his face.

Starling smiled back at him consolingly. "It's okay to cry Finn. It means you care."

"Yeah I know. Still…"

"Still it's not something a man should do, I understand."

He gave her a sheepish look and shrugged his shoulders. "Exactly."

Finn turned and looked back out at the surrounding terra. He still wasn't happy with how things had turned out, but he knew better now that he should be grateful that it had turned out as well as it did. It certainly could have been much, much worse. He turned his eyes in the direction of far Cyclonia and blew an imaginary kiss, along with wishes for good luck. He would never forget his benefactor, the woman who had took him in, given him hope and assistance, who had risked her life for him. She had changed for him, and he vowed he would change for her. He no longer felt like the kid he'd been, even though he'd been a Stormhawk. It was time to start bringing his calm center up and out more often, quit being the hyperactive fool he could be. He'd almost lost everything that was important to him and had gotten it back miraculously. The last thing he wanted to be was unthankful. To go back to acting like nothing bothered him. Time to grow up.

At least a little bit.

Grabbing Starling by the arm he pointed toward the skyport.

"Look, there they come, it's the Condor!"

She hadn't even turned around and he was already out the door and halfway down the corridor.


	16. Chapter 16

Alas, tis true, the last chapter...

Chapter 16

Three weeks later the newly refurbished Condor lifted off to the cheers of the remaining crowd. The hordes of the curious had finally thinned, though there were still a few stubborn nosy parkers hanging about.

Life settled down to pretty much normal, with just a few differences. Aerrow for instance, walked with just the slightest limp and his thick red hair hid the scar on the back of his scalp. But the biggest change was Finn.

Piper was a bit amazed to find Finn wasn't nearly as annoying and irritating as he had been. She found he listened a bit more when she explained things and actually followed some of her plans, most of the time. He even helped with the chores without whining too much, even doing some without asking. And everyone was surprised by his newfound talent of being able to cook. For a while they were having Cheesy eggs for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Stork still insisted that Piper's sandcakes were better than Finn's waffles, though.

Junko found the blonde to be not quite so boisterous, even though he readily joined in when they were having fun. Yet Finn no longer seemed to be quite as frightened during missions, instead showing more confidence. Junko tried to remember the last time he had heard his buddy's high pitched scream, let alone being knocked off his skimmer. But that was okay, Finn was his best freind, no matter what.

Stork had observed the change in Finn's behavior as well. At first he had muttered about mind altering spores, or perhaps the ever waiting hordes of mindworms, and even went so far as to suggest that Finn had been brainwashed. To which Piper had remarked that all it would have taken was a slight rinse. Finn had smirked at her.

Only Aerrow knew the whole truth. Finn had finally told him what happened one night when the two had gone for a doctor sanctioned walk around the hospital ground. Aerrow had listened quietly as Finn poured out everything to him, making a small comment here and there, but pretty much letting his wingman get it out of his system. He had asked Finn if he wanted them to go to Cyclonia, find her and bring her out. Finn had stopped and stood still for a long time.

"I want to, Aerrow, I'd be lying if I said otherwise. But I'm not sure that would be the best thing. What if we can't find her? What if we jeopardize her, put her or her family in danger by exposing her? And what if she doesn't want to be rescued? No Aerrow." He had looked at his best friend, his face serious, blue eyes sorrowful but firm. "The last thing I want to do is cause her harm. If she wants out, she'll do so. She's strong, and one of the most resourceful persons I've ever met. She'll figure a way. And if she doesn't show up, then that's the way it is. She's probably protecting me, too."

Aerrow had gazed back at him, his own face contemplative. He had then smiled and put a friendly arm around Finn's shoulder. "Always knew there was more to you than met the eye."

Finn had smiled back. "Yeah, I'm not just another pretty face."

They had both laughed and returned to the hospital.

Finn never told any of the others his interactions with Zella. He kept them close, locking them away deep in his heart.

The Tale is Done.

A/N And so there it is. My first story published on FanFiction. Thank you to all that read this tale, a very special thank you to all who reviewed, I really appreciated it, made my day. Whoo-hoo - a review!! And stellar ones at that. Wow... Quite frankly, this has been a blast! I've been writing stories for quite some time, lurking on Fan Fiction and finally got the nerve to bite the bullet and post already.

A little background on this story - normally I have a pretty good idea of where one of my stories is going. This one - didn't have a clue. Hadn't come up with a solution myself until the 12th chapter.

And Zella? Toyed with making her an old retired Sky Knight, or a disgraced Sky Knight making amends, then one of Starling's operatives (that Starling didn't want outed), or just a normal person that had gotten caught up in all this mess. Then all of a sudden it hit me (ow! Still have the bruise...), bring in the twist. I hope I didn't disappoint, I like the ol' gal myself and wish her well. And yes, she misses Finn, too. So does Kara. Skeez misses the belly rubs.

Oh, and I hearby apologize and hang my head in shame for the various mispellings and grammatical errors. You can read it over a million times, send it through spell checker, post it with confidence, go in to read it on live review and POW!! How in the #& did I miss that?!

Yours, Liestra


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